Emerald Flame
by BlackNightNyx
Summary: When Draco comes back in 7th year after his father killed his mother, who does he turn to? Why, Hermione of course!Finished
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yes, another Draco/Hermione fic. This might sound a bit like the beginning of my other story, Crimson and Clover, but there's a difference between the two: This one doesn't have Erin in it. Okay, on with the story.  
  
Disclaimer: Let's see….I live in the hugest redneck county in the world. So do I own Harry Potter? Guess.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Fire  
  
Chapter One  
  
****  
  
***Hermione's POV***  
  
I sat in the one of the compartments reserved only for the Head Boys and Head Girls with Harry. The two of us had been named the Heads of Gryffindor. I had no idea who the other Heads of Houses were. That would be a secret until the other Heads told us or when Dumbledore announced us all during the feast.  
  
Harry was sitting next to me and going on about how the first thing he was going to do when he graduated this year was turn the Dursleys into fruit bats when the compartment door slid open. Surprisingly, a tall, hooded character walked in. Harry's hand immediately reached for his wand, but he stopped when he realized the person wasn't a Dementor.   
  
"This is the compartment for the Heads, right?" The figure asked. The voice was oddly familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I nodded, and the figure sat down across from us, setting his feet across the other part of the sear so he took up two places instead of one. He (and I'm sure it was a 'he') set his back against the window, let his head drop down onto his chest, and he soon appeared to be asleep.  
  
"Do you think Malfoy'll come back this year?" Harry asked me quietly.  
  
"Why wouldn't he be?" I replied, turning to him.  
  
"Didn't you get the new edition of the Daily Prophet?" Harry raised an eyebrow.  
  
"No, my owl didn't come back before I left to go to the station. What happened?"  
  
"Here," Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up edition of the Daily Prophet. He handed it to me and I opened it to the front page.  
  
MALFOY MURDER was written in bold letters on the front page. I gasped and looked at Harry.  
  
"Keep reading," He said.  
  
I nodded and started to read the passage below the headline.  
  
'On July 31st, Narcissa Malfoy was found beaten to death in her manor with her son, Draco, lying beaten a few feet away from her body. Draco wouldn't tell us much about the murder, and the only information we have is the identity of the killer: Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father and Narcissa's wife. If you should ever see Lucius Malfoy, report it immediately. He should be considered dangerous.'  
  
"Oh God," I whispered as I handed the newspaper back to Harry, "D'you think he's alright?"  
  
"Of course he's not, his mother died right in front of him and he's probably still healing."  
  
"Oh Christ, let it be…." The guy across from us whispered.  
  
"What, are you friends with Malfoy or something?" Harry asked.  
  
"No," The guy said, "I really quite hate him actually."  
  
"Who are you anyway?" I asked him.  
  
In response, he flicked of his hood and I gasped yet again. It was Draco Malfoy. But his face was covered with wounds and bruises and scars. But his eyes still shone with cold silver, so he couldn't have changed much.   
  
"Your father did that?" Harry asked slowly.  
  
"You read the paper," Draco answered in reply, looking out of the window.  
  
"But fists can't do that," Harry said, "The scars are to thin."  
  
"It was the staff," I said quietly.  
  
Draco looked at me and smirked.  
  
"Maybe you're not as dense as I thought…." He said to me.  
  
"So I'm right?" I asked.  
  
Draco nodded. Why am I calling him Draco? -Malfoy- nodded.  
  
"Now let's see if you can figure out -why- he did it," He leaned his head against the glass and smirked again.  
  
I shrugged.  
  
"Not enough evidence," I muttered, "You'd have to tell me for me to know."  
  
"Really?" He closed his glowing eyes again, "Well, then I guess you'll never know."  
  
He pulled up his hood again and went back to sleep.  
  
***Draco's POV***  
  
They kept talking even after I pretended to go to sleep. It was funny really. My and two of my worst enemies were sharing a compartment and we weren't trying to kill each other. Well, I suppose we don't have to be enemies anymore. The only reason I hated them was because Lucius told me to hate all Gryffindors, especially Harry Potter, Muggle-Borns, and the Weasleys. So, with him gone, I really don't have to hate them anymore, do I? But then there's that whole Slytherin-Gryffindor thing I have to stay away from. But all the Slytherins hate me now. I betrayed their lord. Their King. That's why Lucius tried to kill me. Because I refused to be a Death Eater. And he's always been a violent so of course that set him off. Christ, even if I breathed to hard he hit me. I have the scars to prove it.  
  
I heard Potter get up and go. Apparently he wanted to find Weasley. I have no idea why Granger didn't go. But he left and she stayed. As soon as the door closed she turned sideways in her seat and leaned her back against the glass like I had been doing. I looked up at her and bit back the string of insults that I had been taught to say. So instead I tried to be civil.  
  
"Lost your boyfriend, did you?"  
  
Curse my father.  
  
She sighed and rubbed her forehead.  
  
"Not now Malfoy," She groaned.  
  
"On one condition."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never call me Malfoy again."  
  
Apparently my hate for my father surpasses his teachings.  
  
Hermione turned her head towards me with a puzzled expression on her face.  
  
"Yes," I said, "You heard me right. Don't call me Malfoy."  
  
"Alright Draco. But can you do me a favor as well?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't call me Granger, Mudblood, Dirty Blood, or any other name that reflects my parentage."  
  
"Deal."  
  
I extended my hand out and she shook it. We sat in silence for a while before I realized she was staring at me.  
  
"What?" I asked when I looked over at her.  
  
"Take off your hood," She said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Please, just do it."  
  
I didn't understand it, but I pulled off the hood.  
  
***Hermione's POV***  
  
I don't know what exactly made me ask him, but I did. And he actually listened to me. So I looked at his face again. Then I got up and kneeled on the floor next to him to look at his wounds more closely. I saw him get a confused look on his face and he moved back further against the wall. That staff did it's job. The wounds were many and most of the bruises were long. The wounds looked fresh. I have no idea why he didn't wear bandages on them. But, it's his face, not mine. Something possessed me to reach up and trail my finger along one of his wounds, and I did. The skin broke again and a thin line of blood ran down his cheek. Here, he reached up and grabbed my hand, pushing me gently away. He shook his head and I went back and sat down in my seat. He pulled his hood back up and no more than four seconds later Harry and Ron came through the door. I stared at Draco's hooded face one last time before I turned to Harry and Ron and started talking about the newest prank Fred and George were going to pull.  
  
****  
  
A/N: Okay, now here's what you do. Click the button at the bottom of the page and tell me how you felt about the story. Please? Seriously. Please? 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, eight reviews for one chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and now on with chapter 2. And to clear things up, Fred and George are called in frequently to clear things up with their pranks and while they're at Hogwarts they like to play pranks on certain students and teachers (*cough*snape*cough*)  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 2  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
When the train stopped all of the Heads were all ordered out after the younger students. Apparently, Dumbledore would be announcing us at the feast so we would come after the Sorting. We were sent out and got onto horseless carriages that were to take us to the castle. Draco and the Ravenclaw Head Girl, Marie O'Connor, got into the carriage with Harry and I. Harry sat next to Marie and started a conversation with her while I sat next to Draco in silence. The way he held his head allowed me to see his nose and chin and I saw a thin line of blood slowly making its way down the line of his jaw. I stared at the crimson stream until we got to the castle, at which point we were led to the doors of the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall and instructed to wait until Dumbledore called us in. We were to walk in in pairs and stand in front of the Head table. We were called in a second later and stood in front of the Head Table. I kept as still as I could while Dumbledore spoke, but it was hard. My legs were starting to ache.  
  
"Students," Dumbledore started his speech, "I must tell you about something new that is happening this year. For the sake of reaching the teachers easier, the Heads will be given their own rooms that leads to their own Common Room that is located near my office. For now, you Heads can eat at your own House Tables but be sure to meet me outside my office for the password to your Common Room."  
  
We nodded and walked to our respective House tables. Harry and I sat across from Ron and started talking soon after the food had appeared.   
  
"Look at that," Harry said to me when Ron had gone to the other end of the Table to get more mashed potatoes, pointing to the Slytherin table.  
  
"What?" I asked, looking down the table, but I noticed just as I asked. Draco was sitting by himself at the very end of the table. The other Slytherins kept on whispering at each other and pointing at him. A second later a roll was thrown at him by none other than Crabbe. It hit Draco in the side of his face but he just ignored it.  
  
"It's like they hate him," Harry said to me.  
  
"But why?" I asked. But he didn't get to answer me if he was going to because Ron came back a second later with more food piled on his face.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I saw Hermione and Potter staring at me and tried to keep from staring back at them. I felt the roll hit me in the face. In all truth it opened another wound that stung now like a white hot wire pressed against my skin. But I wasn't going to show the pain. I -couldn't- show the pain. I wasn't going to let my father win.   
  
  
  
After all the food was gone I joined the other Heads in front of Dumbledore's office. McGonagall waited for us there. Apparently she would show us the Common Room. She led us a little way down the hall and stopped us in front of a huge painting of a black phoenix.  
  
"The password is 'Black Ebony,' McGonagall told us, and the portrait behind her seemed to tear in two and show a hole in the wall which led to a very elaborately decorated Common Room. The floor was deep blue with amazing silver carpets, while the furniture was green. The walls were covered with paintings of old warlocks and witches and huge chandeliers twinkled with red and yellow fairy lights.  
  
"You will go to the door with your name written on it," McGonagall continued, "It will lead you to your room."  
  
She left us then to go into our rooms. I walked to the green door with 'Draco Malfoy' written on it in silver letters and went inside the room. It was huge with a king size bed with green silk sheets and paintings of mystical creatures on the wall. The carpet was a deep green and a chandelier much like the one in the Common Room hung from the ceiling. A door the side of the room led to a small bathroom complete with a shower. I took off the cloak and threw it over my trunk, which sat at the end of my bed. I then went into the bathroom and washed the blood off my face. I looked up at my reflection and flinched a little at what I saw. The two wounds that had been opened had clotted already and would probably heal before tomorrow. I should put a Concealing Spell over the wounds before tomorrow so I don't have to walk around all day with a hood hiding my face, but I don't know how to cast a proper one. Fortunately, I knew someone who did. Unfortunately, I was supposed to hate her. Then again, what do I have to worry about? Everyone else already hates me anyway, so what have I got to lose? I put the cloak back on and started to walk to the door, but someone knocked on it before I could get to it. I pulled the hood a little lower on my face before I opened the door. Surprisingly, Hermione stood there.  
  
"Can I come in?" She asked, looking past me into my room. I glanced out into the Common Room to make sure no one else was there before I moved back to let her in and closed the door behind her.  
  
"What d'you want?" I asked her as she looked around the room.  
  
"One of my books is missing, I didn't put it in your bag by mistake, did I?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know," I answered, "Let me go check."   
  
I got my bag off a small table in the room and started to search through it. Hermione sat down on the edge of my bed and watched me. I found a book in my bag that I didn't recognize and looked at the cover.  
  
"Vampires of Light," I read aloud, "Is this it?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Hermione stood and took the book from me.  
  
"Can you help me with something?" I asked her before she could turn and leave.  
  
"What?" She asked, leaning her head to the side.  
  
I took my cloak off and threw it over my bed.  
  
"Could you teach me how to do decent a Concealing Spell so I can cover my scars?" I asked her.  
  
She nodded and stepped forward with her wand in her hand.  
  
"You place the tip of the wand on the scar you want to conceal," She said, putting the tip of her wand on the wound, "And you say the spell as clearly as you can."   
  
She said the spell and stood back.   
  
"There," She smiled, "Remember, it only conceals, so if one starts to bleed it'll show."  
  
I nodded and sat down on my bed.  
  
"You can go now," I told her, picking up a book and opening it to the chapter I was supposed to have read over the summer. Hermione nodded and started for the door, but she stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned.  
  
"Draco…." She said softly.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" I asked.  
  
"Well….If you need anyone to talk to….I'm here, you know?" She said in a rush.  
  
I just nodded.  
  
"I know."  
  
Hermione nodded as well and walked out the door, making sure no one saw her. It wasn't until a few seconds after she left that I realized she was trying to be my friend. Trying to.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I walked out of Draco's room after I made sure the coast was clear and sighed before I made my way back to my own room. I have -no- idea what made me say what I did. I mean, he was supposed to be my greatest enemy (other than Voldemort of course). After what he said in fifth year and all. He seemed incredibly pissed off at the fact that Harry had gotten his father placed in Azkaban for a few months, but he couldn't still love--no, respect his father after what he did, could he? And why am I trying to be his friend? Why?  
  
I shoved this thought into the back of my mind and quickly went back to my room. It looked a lot like Draco's, except mine was decorated in colors of gold and red. There was a great mural of a unicorn on the wall on my right. It even moved, prancing around the painted forest and throwing its head back so it shimmered silver. When I turned the light off it even glowed. I didn't want to think about Draco any more, so I took out the book I had gotten back from Draco and lay down on my bed to read it. But, alas, I couldn't get the thought of the blood trailing down his face out of his mind. I threw the book across the room and buried my head in the golden sheets. Amazing….I can allow my mind to be cleared of everything when I do my homework but I can't get the boy out of my head. A knock at the door thankfully cut my thoughts short.  
  
"Come in," I said, looking up. The door opened and Harry stepped in.  
  
"This is weird…" He said, looking around.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Sharing a Common Room with Slytherins."  
  
I laughed and sat up.  
  
"In other words you're really lonely 'cause you don't have Ron to talk to,"  
  
"Like you're not?"  
  
I sniffed and trailed a finger down my cheek.  
  
"Tear…." I said.  
  
He smiled and sat down next to me.  
  
"So who're the other Heads?" I asked, "I didn't get to see them all."  
  
"Draco and Pansy from Slytherin, Ernie and Hannah from Hufflepuff, and Marie and Terry from Ravenclaw," He counted off on his fingers.  
  
"How did that stupid pug-faced idiot Pansy get to be Head Girl?" I asked scathingly.   
  
"No clue," Harry laughed.  
  
I smiled as well.   
  
"I need to go unpack," Harry said, turning to the door, "See you Hermione."  
  
"Bye," I said as he left. I wish he hadn't. Without something to distract me my thoughts turned to Draco again. Ugh, sometimes I really hate having a huge mind.  
  
****  
  
A/N: Chapter 2. Hope you like. Push the button and tell me what you think. Or not. Your choice. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Aha, you do love me! Never doubt me, I will keep writing until the fan fic is done. And to prove it, here's chapter 3!  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 3  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I woke to my alarm clock buzzing next to my ear. I reached out a hand and knocked the thing of the small night stand, breaking it and silencing the dreaded alarm. I started to go back asleep, but a nagging voice in the back of my mind that sounded annoyingly like Hermione forced me to get up. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and got out of bed. I had an hour to get ready and get down to the Great Hall. I'm not looking forward to eating at the Slytherin table, but it couldn't be helped. It's not like I could transfer.   
  
I forced myself to get to the bathroom and wash my face. I really -should- put bandages on the wounds. They keep breaking open while I sleep. But I'd rather show the scars then hide them. It's a pride thing. I had decided against using the Concealing Spell. Everyone already knew I had gotten the sense beaten out of me. Maybe I actually got the sense beaten -into- me. I don't class everyone as 'Mudblood' and 'Pureblood' anymore. Their just…people. The same decaying organic matter everything else on earth is made of.   
  
I dressed quickly and stepped out into the Common Room. Everyone stared at me for a second before walking out the entrance towards the Great Hall. I just glared at them and walked on. I'm -not- a morning person. I made it to the Great Hall without further injury from the Slytherins and sat down at the very edge of the table. I felt the stares of the future Death Eaters boring into my back as I sat down , but I just tried to ignore them. Halfway through my breakfast Snape walked down the table and handed us our schedules. I glanced over it. First class was double Care of Magical Creatures with (who else?) the Gryffindors. Amazing. I got up and left when a roll whizzed past my head. Of course, Goyle threw it. He never could aim very well.   
  
I started towards Hagrid's hut, but stopped halfway there. I still had thirty minutes until class, so I just climbed a tree next to the lake and sat there, hidden amongst the branches. Eventually, students started to file down towards the hut. I thought about just staying in the tree and skipping class, but then I saw Hermione and changed my mind. I jumped down and nearly broke my foot, but I kept going. I passed Potter, Weasly, and Hermione, and heard Weasly yell at me.  
  
"Did you have a nice summer, Malfoy?"  
  
I stopped dead in my tracks and balled my fists at my sides. I fought back all the insults climbing up my throat. I was going to be civil, or at least try as hard as I could to be.   
  
"Stop it Ron," I heard Hermione say, "He's been through enough."  
  
"After what he's said to you, what he's called you the past seven years?"  
  
"Yeah Ron, just leave him alone."  
  
Weasly shut up and I started walking again, mentally praising Hermione. She was a goddess in my book as of now.   
  
I headed towards the hut and stopped at the very back of the group. My hearing was well enough. Besides, Hagrid's voice carried a long way. I saw Hermione glance back at me. I reminded myself to thank her later. That is, if I could.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I turned back to Hagrid and listened to him go on and on about Griffins. He led us to a pen near the forest and showed us a solid black one. It really was amazing. Of course, he didn't let us near it. It was extremely too dangerous. The class ended and I headed towards Ancient Runes. Draco was in that class as well. Oh no, I'm thinking of him again….Ugh….  
  
I walked silently to class when Harry and Ron turned right to go up the stairs that led to the Divination Classroom. After 5th year Professor Trelawney and Firenze begun working together on Divination and I was really disappointed that I couldn't be in the class now. From what Harry and Ron told me it was excellent.  
  
I rounded the last corner and stepped into the classroom, taking the seat directly in front of the teachers desk. The students started filing in slowly until Draco came in exactly five seconds before the bell. He headed for the very back of the class and slumped down in his seat. I managed to get through the whole class without looking back at him, though I felt the urge to do so many times throughout the class period. After that I had Charms, then Transfiguration, then finally lunch. I just grabbed an apple and headed towards the Library. I needed to brush up on Potions. I was -not- going to give Snape a reason to vanish away my potion like he had done to Harry and Ron so many times before.   
  
I entered the Library and hid my apple in my pocket. Madam Pince really didn't like food near the books. I got a book and went to a table in the farthest corner away from the librarians desk. I didn't want Madam Pince to hear me eating. I dropped my bag next to the chair I was sitting in and propped my feet up on the table. I looked at my watch every five minutes to make sure I wasn't late, but other that that I was completely absorbed in my reading. I looked up when I felt someone sit across from me and dropped my book when I saw who it was.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I smiled slightly when Hermione dropped her book but other than that I didn't change my expression. She looked at me with a shocked look on her face.  
  
"It's not -that- bad now is it?" I asked, putting a hurt look on my face.  
  
"No," Hermione shook her head and bent down to pick up her book, "Sorry, it's just…I didn't expect you to come here."  
  
"Getting beaten half to death by your father makes people change."  
  
Hermione dropped her head and bit her lip uncertainly.  
  
"I just came here to tell you thanks," I said.  
  
Hermione looked up.  
  
"For what?" She asked.  
  
"For getting Weasly to back off."  
  
"He's just looking for reasons to get back at you."  
  
"Well it's not very hard to find them is it?"  
  
Hermione smiled uncertainly.  
  
"I'm not made of glass," I said after a second, "I can talk about it without breaking."  
  
Hermione bit her lip again.  
  
"It's just….Well…." Hermione trailed off.  
  
"It's okay," I said quickly.   
  
She nodded slightly and tried to smile. She looked at her watch and suddenly jumped up.  
  
"We've only got three minutes until Potions!" She said as she put the book back on the shelf and picked up her bag. I stood as well and we nearly ran out of the Library. As Heads we were expected to be on time to every single class and I knew Snape would give us detention if we were late and I really didn't want to scrub floors.  
  
We got to Potions in time. I let Hermione go in first then waited a few seconds and walked in behind her. If we walked in together the Slytherins would hassle me even more. Snape shot us dirty looks but other than that he couldn't do anything. Technically we weren't late, we still made it entirely into the classroom three seconds before the bell. So I spend an entire two hours brewing an advanced Invisible Potion. I think I made it well. I wouldn't know until Snape tested it.  
  
I finished the rest of the school day and skipped dinner. I chose to shut myself up in my room and think instead. I closed my eyes and slipped into a dream-like trance, where I wasn't completely asleep but I wasn't completely awake. I didn't come out of the trance until someone knocked on my door. I sat up and blinked a second before I opened the door. Hermione stood there. This time I wasn't really surprised. She slipped in and closed the door behind her and I let her.  
  
"Why are you here?" I asked more rudely than I meant to.  
  
She didn't speak, but instead held out a napkin. I took it and unwrapped it. An apple and a chicken leg lay within the white cloth.  
  
"Thanks," I muttered, rewrapping the food and setting it on the nightstand where my alarm clock used to be (It now lay shattered on the floor).  
  
"You have to eat, you've skipped lunch and dinner."  
  
"So you do care," I said sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, I do, so you'd better eat it."  
  
I looked at her with a shocked look on my face.  
  
"Yes, you heard me, now eat."  
  
I blinked and didn't move until she shoved my gently towards where I'd lain the food. I finally picked up the apple and took one bite out of it. She gained a look of satisfaction which made her look surprisingly like a cat that had just killed and eaten a mouse. I would've laughed, but if I had I would've probably choked on the apple. I swallowed the piece down and stared at her.  
  
"Happy?"  
  
"Not extremely content, but it'll do."  
  
"You want to help me finish it?" I held the apple out to her and smirked. She rolled her eyes but actually took the apple and bit into it. She handed it back to me and I stared at her.  
  
"What?" She asked around the piece of apple in her mouth.  
  
"You don't usually eat after people, especially your greatest enemy."  
  
"My greatest enemy is Voldemort. You're more like a…I dunno…Borderline."  
  
"Borderline?"  
  
"You're not a friend but your not an enemy."  
  
By now she had taken a seat on the bed beside me and had a smile on her face. I think I had a smile on my face as well but I had put numbing spells on it so I couldn't feel the constant sting of the still healing wounds.  
  
"Really? And when did this change come around?"  
  
"When you agreed to call me Hermione."  
  
"Wow, I think I made the right choice."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes but kept the smile on her face.  
  
"At least you're better than Ron and Harry…"  
  
"Oh, so they're pigs?"  
  
"Harry's not so much but Ron talks about snogging every girl in his year that's in Gryffindor."  
  
"Like we didn't see that coming…And what about Pott--Harry."  
  
"He only talks about this girl in Ravenclaw…."  
  
"Who? That Chang girl that graduated last year?"  
  
"No," Hermione made a face, "No, not after fifth year. A different girl."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"No, I'm not telling you."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Please?"  
  
She stuck her tongue out at me.   
  
"If you don't put that away I'm gonna have to kiss you," I told her seriously.  
  
"Tempting…." Hermione muttered, but she put her tongue back in her mouth.  
  
"Oh, now who's the pig?"  
  
"Shut it," She pushed me slightly and laughed a little. She glanced down at her watch.  
  
"Bugger…" She muttered, getting up, "I have to go do homework. Night."  
  
"Night," I told her as she left, yet again making sure no one saw her.  
  
I finished off the apple she gave me, but I threw away the chicken leg. After that I showered, took off my shirt, repaired my alarm clock with a simple spell, and went to sleep. Well, tried. My thoughts kept drifting to Hermione. After an hour I finally got frustrated.  
  
"You will -not- fall in love with Hermione Granger," I said firmly to myself. Then I was somehow able to drift into la-la land. Which was filled with Hermione's face. Tell me that's not fair.  
  
****  
  
A/N: Click the button and tell me what you think please. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, apparently the last chapter sucked so I'll try to make this one better. I'm doing a heck of a lot better than my old story though…Chapter 4. Enjoy.  
  
****  
  
Disclaimer: blah blah blah no don't own it   
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 4  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I sat in a daze in History of Magic. Imagine me, Hermione Granger, nearly asleep in a class. But I already knew everything about the Goblin Rebellion of 1294 and I didn't need to learn anything more about it. I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat, letting my head droop down. A piece of my hair fell down into my face and I tried to blow it away, but it fell back into place. I blew it away again, only for it to fall back again. I kept repeating this process until someone threw a hair tie onto my desk. I turned towards the direction the hair tie had been thrown from and saw Eliza Hawkings, a Ravenclaw in my year. Without her hair tie her long white blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and onto her desk. She was part veela so many boys turned their heads and started staring at her, including Harry (then again, he was already staring at her). She tucked her hair behind her ears and rested her head back on her folded arms. I nodded at her and she nodded back, the only way we could thank each other without getting in trouble. I put my hair up and waited in a bored daze for the end of class to come. After this I had Professor McGonagall's N.E.W.T. class and after that classes were over. I still hadn't decided what I was going to do after Hogwarts although McGonagall had recommended either an Auror or a spell book writer. The bell finally rang and I gathered up my things and started out the door. Eliza caught up with me as I was walking out the door and started to talk to me while we walked to Transfiguration.   
  
"Are you going to try to become an Animigus?" She asked me, "You know you'd be able to do it with your brains."  
  
"Well, maybe…" I answered truthfully, "But you know you could be an Animigus as well if you wanted to. You're brilliant in Transfiguration."  
  
"I already am."  
  
I gasped and smiled at her.  
  
"What can you turn into?"  
  
"A white tiger."  
  
"Really?"   
  
"Yeah, the only other one who knows is McGonagall, she's probably going to make me show the class."  
  
  
  
"Amazing…"  
  
"Hey Eliza!"  
  
Eliza turned and waited as Harry caught up with her and I kept walking to class. They clearly liked each other, but of course Harry wouldn't ask her out. He was scared she'd say no or something.  
  
I walked into class and took my usual seat in the front. The rest of the class came in and we had to wait a while for McGonagall to come in. She still walked with a limp from fifth year and had to use a cane to get around. As soon as she came in and shut the doors the class got quiet and looked at her, waiting for her to announce the lesson for today.   
  
"As you know," She said, walking towards the front of the class, "We have been studying Animagi and very few of you have even attempted to become them," She glared at an empty seat where a Slytherin who had tried to turn into a snake and failed miserably used to sit. He was now in the Hospital Wing taking an enormous amount of potions.  
  
"Now, among everyone here who has tried to become Animagi, only two of you have managed to do it without being permanently physically disfigured. Would those two please stand up and come to the front now."  
  
Eliza of course stood and walked up and I turned to see who the other Animagi was. Surprisingly, Draco rose and walked to the front.   
  
"Now," McGonagall said when they reached the front, "Would you two please transform and show the others what animals you can turn into."  
  
Draco and Eliza nodded. Draco whispered something to Eliza and she nodded and took a couple of steps back. Draco stood still and closed his eyes. A second later he glowed a brilliant white and eventually the light grew into a fifteen foot long glow and then the light faded. Most of the students gasped and moved back in their seats. Draco had transformed into a Peruvian Vipertooth. I looked for markings that announced this particular dragon as Draco and found them after a minute of searching. The Vipertooth had deep grooves around its snout, presumably scars, as well as cold gray eyes.  
  
"That's enough Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall called. The dragon roared once, making the room tremble, then glowed white again, turning back into Draco a second later. He smirked at the look of admiration on the faces of most of the students around him and calmly walked to his seat. Eliza walked forward and took his place. She smiled at him and then turned into a white Siberian tiger. The tiger had brilliant green eyes like Eliza but other than that you couldn't tell it apart from any other tiger. Eliza stood up on her hind legs and roared before it leaped up and landed on her desk. A few teens around her gasped and jumped back. But the tiger jumped back down into her seat and the glowed white and Eliza was back, slumped down slightly in her seat with her feet propped up on the desk. McGonagall started to clap and soon the rest of the class started up as well. Eliza smirked slightly and leaned back in her seat but Draco just closed his eyes and set his head down on his desk. McGonagall then started to start us up on a new topic: Turning rocks into living things. Why do the teachers always insist on teaching things I already know? Oh well. I guess that's what I get for being smart.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I kept my head down the rest of the class. I already knew how to turn rocks in living things. I'd read the whole Transfiguration spell book at least twice. Lucius forced me. He wouldn't stand to have a son who wasn't the best at everything. He beat me every time I wasn't the best. If he learned I'd lost a Quidditch match, he'd smack me around with the staff the next time he was close enough to do it.  
  
The bell finally rang and I got up to go back to the Common Room. I still needed to finish a Potions essay, write a report on the Vampire War of 1207, and practice Disappearing Charms, so I would have to skip dinner again. I really shouldn't, but I had to get my work done. I walked out with the huge group, but broke off from them when they headed towards the Great Hall and I headed towards the Common Room. I went straight to my room and pulled out my History of Magic book and a foot of parchment. I had been working for about an hour when there was a knock on my door.  
  
"What?" I yelled through the door, not looking up. I already knew who it was. And sure enough, Hermione walked through the door with food wrapped in a napkin.  
  
"So you're like, what, my mother now?" I asked her as she closed the door. She rolled her eyes and passed the napkin to me. I opened it and pulled out yet another apple and chicken leg. I automatically threw the chicken leg away but I kept the apple.  
  
"Are you a vegetarian or something?" Hermione asked, looking at the tossed chicken leg.  
  
"Not really," I said, rolling the apple around in my hands, "But I just don't like the taste of chicken."  
  
Hermione gave a fake gasp and glared at me.  
  
"Chicken hater," she whispered evilly.   
  
I laughed slightly and she flashed me a smile.   
  
"So what are you working on?" She asked, looking at the report that lay drying on my bed.  
  
"My Potions essay now," I said, nodding at the papers on my nightstand, "The crap on my bed is my History of Magic report."  
  
"You're not done with it yet?" She asked me, "It's was assigned the day after school started."  
  
"Yeah, well I've been busy," I said sharply. The truth was I hadn't been. I'd just been sitting there doing nothing since school started.  
  
"Doing what?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip.  
  
"Reading."  
  
"Reading what?"  
  
"Well that's not your business now is it?"  
  
"Fine, I won't pry."  
  
"Good, you shouldn't."  
  
She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Okay, I have to go, goodbye."  
  
She left quickly, leaving me and my apple all alone. I started to work on my report again. I probably wouldn't finish it before midnight. Oh well. I'll just practice Disappearing Charms tomorrow morning. Who knows. Maybe I can make myself disappear.   
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I got back into my room and flipped backwards onto my bed. I closed my eyes and kicked of my shoes. I wasn't sleepy at all, but I didn't have anything to do at the moment. A knock on the door forced me out of my daze.  
  
"What?" I yelled, then smiled to myself at how much I sounded like Draco at the moment.  
  
Harry came in and sat down on the edge of my bed, a sheepish grin on his face.  
  
"What'd you do now?" I asked him, sitting up and crossing my legs.  
  
"I asked Eliza to go to Hogsmede with me this Saturday," He answered, the grin never leaving his face.  
  
"It's about time you idiot," I laughed, "You've liked her for how long now?"  
  
"Two years," He muttered.  
  
"Excuse me?" I leaned closer and cupped a hand behind my ear.  
  
"Two years," He said louder.  
  
I smiled at him.  
  
"Has Ron got a girlfriend now?" I asked him, the smile disappearing off my face.   
  
"No," Harry answered, his smile fading as well, "He hasn't had a girlfriend since…You know."  
  
I nodded. At the end of sixth year I had dated Ron for a month, but I had dumped him over the summer holidays. Since then the two of us hadn't really talked between ourselves, but we tried to keep up appearances when we were in public so people wouldn't talk.  
  
"So where should I take her?" He asked, changing the topic.   
  
"Just go to the Three Broomsticks," I answered, "Unless you want to take her to a coffee shop?"  
  
"Ugh, no," He grimaced, apparently remembering the whole Cho incident.  
  
"She really does like you though, so I don't think she'll care," I told him. He smiled at me and I smiled back.  
  
"Well I have to go," He said, getting up and walking to my door, "Thanks Hermione."  
  
He left and I laid back down. I really needed to get a hobby to take up all this free time…Oh well.  
  
****  
  
A/N: Okay, there it is. Press the button and tell me what you think. PLEASE!!! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Here's chapter 5.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 5  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
The days up to the Hogsmede trip went by pretty quietly. I caught up with my school work and started to going to meals again, so Hermione didn't have any reason to bother me. I kind of missed her. At one point I even thought about skipping dinner so she'd come see me, but I shoved the thought out of my mind almost immediately. We were still in rival houses. It doesn't matter if my house wishes I was out. I myself wish I was out of Slytherin, but we can't do anything about it now can we?   
  
I wasn't really looking forward to the Hogsmede trip. I had enough money to buy stuff from the shops, but when you don't have any friends to go with it really puts a damper on the whole experience. I was trying to decide whether I was going to stay in the huge, empty castle or go to with the other brainless students. I was still trying to decide when I was heading back to the Common Room on the day before we were to go. Nobody looked at me when I walked in and sat in the darkest corner of the room. I was used to it. I actually kind of liked being invisible. No one cared if you messed up. I just kind of sat there and watched the other students talking, writing, reading and whatever else. They didn't notice me, I had shifted into a position where the shadows hid my face. Hermione and Potter walked in after half an hour and they sat down in a couch close to where I was sitting. They started talking quietly to each other and eventually I got curious so I inched forward so I could hear them a little bit better.  
  
"Are you going to go to Hogsmede, Hermione?" Potter was asking, "I mean, I know you don't want to be near Ron but I might need your help."  
  
"Just relax Harry," Hermione smiled at him, "But no, I'm not going to go."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No! I have to catch up on my reading anyway."  
  
"Fine…But this means you have to come on the trip after this one."  
  
"Deal."  
  
They shook hands and Potter got up and went to his room. Hermione didn't get up and go to her room though, she just pulled her legs up and lay sideways on the couch with her arm under her head. She sat staring into the fire that the room really didn't need and didn't make a sound. I got up from my spot and got up to go to my room. I still had homework to finish.  
  
****Hermione's POV***  
  
I don't remember falling asleep on the couch, but at one point I did. I woke only when I heard a door close. I picked up my head and looked at the direction the sound came from. Draco had just come out of his room and was now leaning against the wall staring at me.  
  
"Have a nice rest Sleeping Beauty?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"What time is it?" I asked groggily, sitting up straight and moving my arm, trying to get rid of the annoying tingling feeling.  
  
"Past midnight," Draco answered.  
  
"So what are you doing up?" I asked him when the tingling feeling in my arm went away.   
  
"I can't sleep much these days," He muttered, suddenly finding a great interest in his feet. I nodded and got up, nearly falling back down when my vision clouded with black. I forced myself to stay upright and started to look around for my bag.  
  
"Potter took it to your room," Draco said when he saw me looking around.  
  
"Can't you call him Harry?" I asked him.  
  
"Just because I can get over six-and-a-half years of hate in your case doesn't mean I can do it with everyone else," He smirked.  
  
"Please?" I looked at him with what I hoped was a pleading look.  
  
"I'll think about it," He said, nodding and pushing off from the wall.  
  
"I was going to go get a butterbeer from the kitchens," He said, walking backwards towards the portrait entrance, "Since you're up, d'you want one?"  
  
"Um…Sure," I sat back down while he walked out of the Common Room. He returned half an hour later with a smug smirk on his face and two butterbeers in his pocket.  
  
"What're you so happy about?" I asked as he handed me one.  
  
"I got caught and lost fifty points for Slytherin and I also got banned from going to Hogsmede this weekend," He answered as he sat down next to me.  
  
"That's not something to be happy about."  
  
"I hate the all Slytherins and I wasn't going to go to Hogsmede tomorrow anyway."  
  
"You can't hate -all- Slytherins. -You're- a Slytherin."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Wait," I looked over at him, "You're not saying…"  
  
He looked sideways at me.  
  
"Oh crap," He moaned, "You're going to try and cheer me up now, aren't you?"  
  
"No," I turned and looked at the fire, "Why would you think that?"  
  
He reached out and grabbed my face, turning it so he could look into my eyes.  
  
"You were going to," He said, letting me go. I reached up and rubbed my face. In all truth, it hadn't hurt, it just surprised me.  
  
"Well what do you expect me to do?" I asked angrily.  
  
"Pity me from a distance."  
  
"Well why pity you for a distance when I could pity you to your face?"  
  
"Why pity me at all?"  
  
"Why make reasons for people to pity you at all?"  
  
"If you haven't noticed, I didn't choose to get the crap beat out of me."  
  
I closed my mouth and he raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Did I win that one?" He asked with a smirk on his face.  
  
I got up abruptly and thrust the half-drunken butterbeer at him.  
  
"Goodnight Draco," I said sharply, turning and walking to my room.  
  
"Goodnight Hermione," He called back to me. I closed the door and went to bed. Even if I wasn't going to Hogsmede I still wanted to get up early so I could study. And so I could wake Draco up excruciatingly early to get him back for the smart comments.   
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I didn't break eye contact with Hermione until she shut the door. After that I just stared into the fire and finished off her butterbeer. When I was done with it I threw the glass bottle into the fire. I smiled when I heard the crash against the stone. Pieces of glass flew forward onto the rug in front of the fire and I leaned forward and started to pick them up. I picked up the other butterbeer bottle and walked back to my room to throw them away. I tossed the butterbeer first and then started to pick the pieces of glass out of my palm one by one and threw them in the wastebasket. I cut myself on the last piece when I picked it up and held it up instead of throwing it away. I crossed over to my bed and sat down, watching the crimson blood flow down my fingers and spread into my palm. I smiled grimly and clutched the piece of glass tightly in my fist, feeling it cut even deeper into my hand. I unclenched my fist again and watched the blood flow even quicker. I picked the piece of glass out with my other hand and tossed it into the trash can. I looked back down at my hand for a second. I thought about healing it but another voice clouded over it and I just set my wand on my nightstand and hung my bleeding hand over the side of my bed while I laid down and fell asleep.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I woke up at 10:00 in the morning. It was early enough. Everyone who was going to Hogsmede was already gone but I was nearly certain that Draco would still be asleep. I quickly got dressed and went out into the Common Room. It was empty, of course. I crossed over to Draco's room and slowly opened the door. I quietly walked in and stopped dead when I saw him sleeping on the bed. One of his hands was hanging over the side of the bed with semi-dried blood running down his arm and staining the floor. I quietly walked across the carpet and crouched down in front of his hand, looking the wound over. It was actually five different cuts. There was one on every finger and then one that ran across his palm and went halfway up his thumb. It was old, but not terribly old. It looked like the blood had stopped flowing only a few hours ago.   
  
  
  
Draco suddenly raised his head and looked at me sharply. I stood up and took a few steps back. He sat up and glared at me. He curled his hand into a fist and then grimaced as the wound broke again and started to bleed.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" He asked in a low voice.  
  
"What'd you do to your hand?" I asked instead of answering him.  
  
He sighed and got up. I watched him as he went into the bathroom and started to clean out the cut. I walked to the door and looked at his hand .  
  
"What'd you do to your hand?" I repeated after he had cleaned it and stopped most of the bleeding.  
  
"Nothing…" He muttered, shoving past me and sitting down on the edge of his bed.  
  
"Apparently you did something," I told him, following him and standing a good four feet away from him.  
  
"Why do you care?" He said fiercely, standing up and looking coldly at me.  
  
"Because…." I thought about it for a second, "Because…."  
  
"Don't you dare say because of pity," He whispered coldly.  
  
"I wasn't…" I said, taking a step back.  
  
"Just get out!" He yelled pointing his finger at the door.  
  
I took another step back.  
  
"Not until you tell me what you did to your hand," I said determinedly, taking yet another step back.  
  
His lip curled and I nearly started to tremble from the look of cold fury etched on his face. I took another step back and bumped into the trashcan. I looked down in surprise and glanced over the contents. There was only one butterbeer bottle in it as well as dozens of shards of glass littered around it. One was stained with a faded brown color….I quickly put things together in my mind and turned to look back at Draco.  
  
"You cut -yourself-?" I gasped.  
  
He opened his mouth to argue I think, but he stop halfway through it and dropped his hand to his side. Then his knees buckled underneath him and he fell to the ground, clutching his temples with the heels of his hands. I took a step forward and dropped down by his side, putting a hand cautiously on his back.  
  
"Why'd you do it?" I asked him softly.  
  
"That's just it," He muttered, staring intently at the floor, "I didn't…I didn't -mean- to…I didn't…I didn't -want- to…I just -did-…"  
  
I started to subconsciously rub his back slightly.  
  
He laughed hollowly.  
  
"Maybe I'm becoming Dobby…." He muttered grimly.  
  
I smiled weakly.  
  
"He only hurts himself when he's done something wrong though, and you haven't done anything wrong…"  
  
"Yes I have, Hermione," He looked up at me, his eyes full of sorrow, "I've done terrible things."  
  
"No," I told him, "No, you haven't."  
  
"Yes I have!" He turned and grabbed me by the shoulders, "That's what no one understands! I have!"  
  
"Like what?" I asked, searching his silver eyes.  
  
"I nearly became a Death Eater," He said softly, "I talked to Voldemort himself…"  
  
"Nearly?" I asked him.  
  
"I…I didn't want…I couldn't…I…I just couldn't…I didn't want to kill…I didn't want…I didn't want to live that way…But Father…"  
  
"He…Is that why he…" I reached up and touched one of the scars on his face lightly instead of finishing the sentence.  
  
Draco closed his eyes and his face screwed up slightly. It looked like he was trying as hard as he could not to cry.  
  
"Yes," he said finally, his shoulders shaking slightly. He let a single tear escape and slide down his cheek before he dropped his head. I looked at him in slight disbelief for a while as he cried silently before I pulled him close and held him, rocking slightly in the silence of the dorm room.   
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
It felt good to finally let it out. To finally tell someone what had happened felt like I was lifting a great weight off my shoulders. I let the tears fall freely, I didn't care anymore. I just didn't care. I let her hold me for a minute before I wrapped my arms around her in return. A small voice in the back of my head told me it was wrong. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin hugging. A pureblood who was raised to hate Muggleborns sitting there with one held tightly in his arms. Nearly friends. Maybe already friends. I didn't care about the voice anymore.  
  
A/N: Okay, chapter 5. I would've updated earlier, but my cousins have been over for a long while and I just started high school (oh joy…). Hope you like. If you do, review. C'mon…You know you want to….Chapter six coming soon. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 6. Hope you like it as much as the last.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 6  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I walked into the Great Hall the day after the Hogsmede trip and immediately went to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry.   
  
"So how'd it go?" I asked him while I started piling food on my plate, "You didn't come back last night."  
  
"Yes I did," Harry said, "I just didn't get back 'til eleven."  
  
I gave a fake gasp.  
  
"Harry James Potter!" I said, "What -have- you been up to?"  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Seriously, we didn't do anything!" He said, "We just took a walk around the lake after the Hogsmede trip!"  
  
"It takes two hours to walk around the lake?" I raised an eyebrow.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Where were you anyway?" He asked, quickly changing the subject, "I knocked on your door and you didn't answer."  
  
"I guess it was when I was taking a shower," I lied quickly. In reality I had taken Draco up to the Room of Requirement to bandage his hand (He'd refused to go to the Hospital Wing. He said Madam Pomfrey would ask questions.) and then stayed there with him until midnight. It's not like I'd stayed there as suicide watch…Actually, part of me -did- stay there for suicide watch. The other part of me just wanted to have his company. I now considered him a friend. After he'd broken down in my arms the previous night I'd grown quite an attachment to him.  
  
My thoughts were broken when Eliza walked over and placed her arms around Harry's shoulders. She quickly pecked him on the cheek and they started to talk quietly among themselves. I quickly finished my food and got up to go to the Library so I could leave them to themselves. We didn't have classes today either, but I was going to study anyway. I didn't yesterday, I was to preoccupied with Draco. But I was intent on studying today.   
  
I walked into the Library and immediately walked over to the Potions section. I ran my fingers over the spines of the books as I walked past them. I'd already read more than half of them. I finally found one and pulled it out from the shelf. I walked to a table in the far corner and sat down to read. Unfortunately, Terry Boot and Marie O'Connell had chosen the table next to me to share their first kiss…and their second…and third…and fourth…  
  
I eventually got annoyed and just checked the book out and walked out of the library. I thought it over for a second before I headed towards the Room of Requirement. No one could bother me there. Amazing how wrong I was….  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I sat in the Room of Requirement, staring at the fire. I really liked this room. No one knew it was here, so no one could come in and interrupt your thinking. Well, one person could.  
  
The door opened and I heard someone gasp slightly.  
  
"Hey, Hermione," I said softly, smirking slightly.  
  
"Oh, hey…" She seemed to breath a sigh of relief and collapsed in a chair next to me with a book laying on her lap.  
  
"Who'd you think I was?" I looked sideways at her.  
  
"Your hair looked red for a second 'cause of the fire and I thought you might be…Well, I thought you might be Ron…" She looked down at her book and started to trace the letters on the cover.  
  
"What's the story between you two, huh?" I asked, "I've noticed you don't hang out with him anymore."  
  
She sighed and looked over to me like she was judging whether or not she could trust me.  
  
"Fine, I'll tell you," She said, "Ron and I dated over the summer and it didn't really…click."  
  
"Why not?" I asked.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"I really don't know…I just didn't like him that way I guess."  
  
"Then who -do- you like?"  
  
She looked over to me.  
  
"Of course I'm not going to tell -you-."  
  
"Why?" I smirked, "Am -I- the one you like?"  
  
She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh yeah Draco, I -really- fancy you," She said sarcastically.  
  
"Aha, you finally admit it!"  
  
"Oh please!"  
  
She laughed and I smiled a little.  
  
"Really though," I said, "Who d'you like?"  
  
"No one," She said truthfully.  
  
"No one?"  
  
"No one."  
  
"No one at all?"  
  
"NO ONE!"  
  
I moved the chair over an inch and looked at her out of the corner of my eye.   
  
"Okay," I said slowly, "Why didn't you say so?"  
  
She picked up the book like she was going to throw it at me, but then changed her mind and put it back down in her lap.  
  
"You know," She said, "One day I really am going to hurt you."  
  
"Someone's already beaten you to it," I muttered gloomily.  
  
She opened her mouth like she was going to say something but decided against it and just stared back into the fire.  
  
"So is Pott--Harry going out with that Ravenclaw now?" I asked her after a moment of silence.  
  
"Eliza?" She looked towards me, "Yeah, they're dating now. Why do you ask?"  
  
I smirked.  
  
"Me and her used to get into verbal fights all the time," I answered, "She actually has an acid tongue, that one."  
  
"Really?" She laughed slightly, "I've never seen her mad so I wouldn't know…"  
  
"Yeah," I said, "It takes a lot to get her mad, but when she does get mad you need to stay out of her way."  
  
  
  
I looked over towards her.  
  
"She's a lot like you actually…" I said to her, a smirk forming on my face. She got up, put the book on her chair, and faced me with a slight smirk on her face.  
  
"What're you going to do?" I asked her, leaning slightly sideways in my chair. Surprisingly, she swooped down upon me. I instinctively lifted my hands to block her, but found out a second later that all she was trying to do was tickle me. It actually worked and I forced myself out of my chair through my laughter and started to tickle her back. We fell to the ground in a heap of laughter and wrestled around for a while. She was actually quite strong for being as skinny as she was. She gained the upper hand on me a few times and was able to pin me down for a few seconds at a time, but eventually I pinned her down on the ground with my knees keeping her shoulders down and holding her wrists down beside her head.  
  
"Fine!" She laughed, "I give! Get off!"  
  
I pushed off from her and leaned back against my chair while breathing heavily. She sat up and pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them and staring at me. I shook the hair out of my face and grinned at her. She smiled back at me and leaned back against the chair in the same position I was.  
  
"Well," She said, raking a hand through her now-messy hair, "That was interesting."  
  
I laughed slightly before we sunk into silence.  
  
"I need to go," Hermione said after a while, standing and heading to the door, "See you later Draco."  
  
"Bye," I said, looking back at her as she walked away. It was a full five minutes before I got up and realized she had left her book. I picked the book up and turned it over in my hands for a while. A book on Potions. I don't understand -why- she even bothered to get those kinds of books. She was the smartest witch in a century. But she really liked to study I suppose…  
  
I got up to go back to the dorm and give the book to her, but I stopped by the kitchen to get another butterbeer. The house elves kept me up for a while and by the time I made it to the dorm it was nearly ten o' clock. Since it was a school night, everyone was already asleep (We -are- Heads you know). Still, I walked into Hermione's room without knocking. She was sleeping of course, but I could still see around the room fine (that unicorn on the wall really -was- a piece of work). I quietly snuck over to the nightstand by her bed and placed her book there. As I was turning to walk away I caught sight of her and just stood there, staring at her. When she was asleep she looked like she was at peace. Normally she was rushing off, trying to know everything and worrying about all the tests that were coming up. But now…   
  
I shook my head to clear my mind and walked out of the room. Instead of going to my dorm I sat on the couch and drank the butterbeer I had gotten earlier. Just as I finished it, the portrait opened and Harry walked in. He caught sight of me and stopped, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"What're you still doing up?" He asked me.  
  
"What're -you- still doing up?" I countered.  
  
"I had a date," He smirked slightly.  
  
"As did I," Alright, so I lied…I think…  
  
"Alright then," He walked over to his room and walked into it without giving me a second glance. It was a second before I realized we had talked to each other without either one of us insulting the other. I shook my head and walked to my room. I was starting to get tired and I really didn't want to oversleep and miss Potions…Snape would yell at me and that's really not a pretty thing.  
  
****  
  
A/N: So what d'you think? Seriously, press the button at the bottom of the page and tell me. Please?  
  
Chapter 7 to come soon. I promise, things will become more interesting…*evil cackle*… 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Now here's chapter 7.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Fire  
  
Chapter 7  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
November passed rather quickly. I met Draco a lot in the Room of Requirement. He had been kicked off the Quidditch Team so he had more free time on his hands. I never asked him why he was kicked off the team. Actually, I -knew- why he had gotten kicked off the team, I just didn't want to bring the topic up. Harry continued to date Eliza and they walked around the lake every night (or so they said). Draco and I kept our friendship secret. I don't think the other houses were ready for a Slytherin and a Gryffindor friendship. I hadn't even told Harry. I didn't plan to either. Harry really was my best friend, but I don't think he could ever accept the fact that Draco and I really were friends. I don't think anyone could.  
  
With the first days of December also came the first snow of the season. We had classes off on that day, so I went outside to enjoy it. Some first years were having a huge snowball fight in front of Hagrid's hut, so I decided -not- to go visit him. I wandered over to the frozen lake and caught sight of a red-headed girl sitting against a tree…  
  
"Ginny!" I called, walking up her. Despite the fact that I had broken up with Ron, Ginny had remained my friend. She looked up at me and smiled.  
  
"Hey," She said, "Haven't seen you in a while."  
  
"Well I've had Head stuff to do," I replied, sitting down next to her, "So what've you been up to?"  
  
"Fred 'n George 'n I have been coming up with ideas for a new product just in time for Christmas," She smiled. She had decided to join her brothers in the joke shop as well as becoming the Chaser for the Appleby Arrows.   
  
"Can you give me a hint?" I asked hopefully. If they were going to release a new product I wanted a warning.  
  
She smirked in a way that made her look nearly exactly like Fred and George.  
  
"I'll tell you only one thing: a bunch of people will love it."  
  
"In what way?" I raised an eyebrow. Last time she said that it meant everyone except the Slytherins would love it.  
  
"Oh you'll find out," She cackled evilly. I edged away from her slightly.  
  
"Well," She stood and wiped the snow off her robes, "I have to go, bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She walked off and I took her spot against the tree.  
  
"Now what exactly d'you think she meant by that?" A voice from above me said. I snapped my head up and saw Draco hanging upside down from a branch eight feet above me.  
  
"How are you doing that?" I asked him, looking at his feet. He was seriously defying the laws of gravity.   
  
"Floating Charm," He said simply, smirking.  
  
I looked over him to see how well he had done the spell. It really was amazing. He had even done a special spell to keep his robes in place. He looked incredibly like a vampire in the position he was in. Seriously, you nearly expected him to swoop down and bite you.   
  
"Get down," I told him, "You're a Head, you shouldn't do things like that. What if the first years saw you and tried to do it as well?"  
  
"Then the stupid buggers deserve to fall and break their necks," He said, but he still muttered the counter spell and slipped softly down. He landed in front of me without a sound, uncrossed his arms, and shoved his hands in his robe pockets.   
  
"Did you even -want- to be a Head?" I asked him.  
  
"Not really," He said, "But Lucius told me it would 'bring honor to the Malfoy name' so I had to."  
  
He glared at the ground.  
  
"Well you could always change," I said, "It's not to late. Dumbledore could find a replacement."  
  
Draco shook his head.  
  
  
  
"I'd rather stay exactly where I am," He said, looking up and smiling slightly.  
  
I smiled back and we stood in silence for a while until we both started to shiver slightly.   
  
"We should go back to the castle," I said, rubbing my arms. He nodded and we headed back to the castle together. Right when we were about to go into the door it burst open and who should come out but the Weasley twins.  
  
"Hermione!" They both said in unison before they hugged me. They seemed to regard me as a sister now even through Ron and mine's relationship. They finally let go of me and then looked over to Draco and their expressions changed incredibly.   
  
"Is he messing with you Hermione?" Fred asked, looking Draco over.  
  
"Oh!" I glanced at Draco, "No, no, not at all! He's not messing with me at all!"  
  
"Really?" George raised an eyebrow.  
  
Draco sighed.  
  
"I'm not going to fight either one of you," He said, holding up his hands and taking a step back.  
  
The twins got identical puzzled looks on their faces.  
  
"Why not?" They said in unison.  
  
Draco shrugged and continued past them into the castle. They then looked at me.  
  
"Why not?" They repeated.  
  
"He's changed," I said, shrugging, "But why are you here?"  
  
"Apparently we had a faulty product and one of our customers turned purple…" Fred shook his head.  
  
"Can't you get in trouble?" I asked them, "Can't the person sue or something?"  
  
"No, he can't," George smirked slightly, "It was his own fault."  
  
"Yeah," Fred laughed, "We printed it clearly on the package to not mix it with any type of potion but the stupid prat still decided to do it anyway…"  
  
I shook my head.  
  
"So how does Mrs. Weasley feel about having another one of her children in the Joke Shop business?" I asked.  
  
"Well," Fred glanced at his brother, "She doesn't -technically- know…"  
  
"So please don't tell her," George pleaded.  
  
"Fine," I sighed, "But if I need something from you I'll use it as blackmail."  
  
"Deal," We shook hands and I walked inside the castle while they headed out towards Hagrid's Hut. I went straight to the Room of Requirement. Draco was sure to be there. I was right. A roaring fire was casting a warm glow around the room and Draco was sitting in one of the plush red chairs in front of it. He glanced back at me while I pulled off my scarf and held up a butterbeer. I took it and collapsed in the chair next to him.  
  
"That was really amazing," I said after a while, "What you did back there. Refusing to fight and all."  
  
Draco shrugged.  
  
"Well I already knew from fifth year that they could both kill me if they wanted to so I decided to spare myself the bruises," He said simply.  
  
"Really," I raised an eyebrow, "And here I was thinking you were becoming a better person…"  
  
He shrugged again.  
  
"Whatever you like…" He smirked and looked sideways at me. I rolled my eyes at him.  
  
"You know sometimes you really remind me of Ron."  
  
He made a bad face.  
  
"Y'know I think I'm going to change my whole personality again…"  
  
"Again?"   
  
"What, you haven't noticed?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. I just didn't think you did."  
  
"Hermione, your stupid is showing."  
  
"Well that's clever of you."  
  
He smiled.  
  
"I know, isn't it?"  
  
I laughed slightly. We sunk into silence yet again before a magnified voice echoed down the halls.  
  
"Will all students go to their Common Rooms for a special announcement please!"  
  
Draco and I stood and left the room and headed towards the Head Common Room. Professor Dumbledore stood waiting for us. He waited for us all to gather around and get quiet before he smiled and started to talk.  
  
"Thank you for coming," He started, "Now, as I'm sure you all remember, in fourth year we held a Yule ball."  
  
Most of us nodded.  
  
"Well, we're having another one on Christmas Day at eight o' clock, only this one is open to all years."  
  
A ring of squeals from the rest of the girls rang around the room while the boys just raised their eyebrows.  
  
"There will be a trip to Hogsmede this weekend. You have to buy your dress robes or gowns then if you don't have any, since there won't be any Hogsmede weekends after this one. Now be sure to help the other students if they need help. Good day."  
  
He left and as soon as he walked out the door everyone broke out in whispers. Draco rolled his eyes and walked to his room. I soon went into my room as well. I needed to figure out what to buy at Hogsmede….Hey, I -am- a girl.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
  
  
I closed the door behind me and crossed to my bed. I couldn't go. There was no one to go with. I wasn't going to go out with a Hufflepuff no matter what, the Ravenclaws stayed away from me now, and the Slytherins and Gryffindors practically hated me. Well, one Gryffindor didn't hate me, but I couldn't go with her. She would probably go with someone else in Gryffindor or someone in Ravenclaw. But I didn't know who she wanted to go with so I couldn't say.   
  
I sprawled out on my bed and sighed. Before fifth year girls used to flock to me, but now they just looked at me with pity or disgust. It was starting to get annoying. But it didn't matter much to me anymore. If they didn't like me then they didn't like me. I would probably still go to the ball. I had grown up around social activities and had grown to like them.   
  
There was a knock on my door and I lifted my head.  
  
"What?" I yelled. Hermione came in and closed the door behind her.   
  
"You'd think you'd learn to say 'hello' or something," She sighed, crossing over and sitting on the edge of my bed.  
  
"Whatever you want," I said, rolling over onto my stomach and propping myself up on my elbows.  
  
"So d'you know who you're going to go to the ball with?" She asked.  
  
"I'm not going to go with anyone," I said, letting my elbows collapse and folding them under my chin.  
  
"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well all the girls in our year either hate or pity me."  
  
"I don't hate or pity you."  
  
"But you wouldn't go to a ball with me now would you?"  
  
"Maybe," She smiled softly, "It depends on how you act."  
  
"Really?" I smirked as well, "Then I better be on my best behavior."  
  
"Maybe you should."  
  
She rose and left, smirking over her shoulder at me. I stared at the door for a while before I picked up my wand and turned the lights out with a spell. I flipped backwards and pulled the blanket up to my chin before trying to get to sleep. We had classes again tomorrow.  
  
****  
  
A/N: Okay, there's chapter 7. Hope you like it. If you do, press the button. Please? Seriously. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay, thanks for everyone who reviewed. Oh, and if everyone would direct their attention to the review page, please read the beautiful flame amandil wrote me. Ten billion brownie points to anyone who can point out two things wrong with it.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 8  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
The Hogshead trip finally came and me and Ginny decided to go shopping together for our gowns. Mr. Weasley had become Minister of Magic last year after Fudge decided Voldemort was to much of a hassle and resigned, so she dragged me to the most expensive gown and robe shop to get our gowns. Mum and Dad had given me enough money to buy a good gown so I was able to buy an expensive gown as well. We walked in and immediately saw Harry and Eliza looking for dress robes for Harry. We waved at them and continued to the back of the store. We saw Neville, Hannah, and Ernie there, all looking for ball clothes. We forced our way by them and kept going to the back of the store until the only person we saw was…Draco. He was going through a rack of solid black dress robes, a slight smirk on his face. Ginny pulled me past him and forced me over to a rack of black, blue, and red gowns. She then started to go through them quickly, every now and then pulling one out and handing one to me or putting one over her arm.  
  
"Can't I get a yellow gown or something?" I asked as she handed a long red gown to me.  
  
She looked at me with a strange look on her face.  
  
"Hermione," She said slowly, "You live with me at least three months out of every year and I can assure you: black, red, and blue are -your- colors."  
  
"Really," I sighed as she put a red gown over her arm, "So what're your colors?"  
  
"I only have one color," She said, putting another gown over her arm, "And that's--"  
  
"Red, right?"  
  
She laughed slightly.  
  
"How'd you guess?"  
  
After two more minutes of gowns being thrown into my arms Ginny grabbed my arm again and pulled me to the changing rooms.  
  
"If you're not out in fifteen minutes I'll blast down the door," She said simply before she went into one of the changing rooms. I blinked for a second before I went into the changing room next to the one Ginny was in and started to try on the gowns…  
  
She had given me twenty gowns. Of those twenty, only ten fit me correctly. Of those ten, I only really liked two. One was a black gown that made me look like a Goth and the other was a blue one not unlike the one I had worn to the fourth year Yule ball. I tried the blue one on first and went out into the hallway to see how I looked in the mirror. I decided it didn't look ridiculously bad so I went back to the changing room and tried on the black one. I went back out into the hallway and looked in the mirror. I didn't realize the back on this one was so low, but it suited me well. I spun around twice and realized when I looked back in the mirror that someone was watching me. A particular blonde…  
  
"Go with that one," Draco said, stepping out from the shadows of the doorway.  
  
"Alright then," I smiled, "Then I'll go with the blue one."  
  
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned slightly.  
  
"That's just wrong…"  
  
"So what'd you buy?" I asked him, leaning against the steel door frame to the changing room. I regretted it a second later as I felt the cold metal against my bare back.  
  
"Nothing, actually," He smiled, "I have four different dress robes back at the castle."  
  
"So why'd you come here?"   
  
"To see if they had anything better than what I already have."  
  
Just then Ginny came out of her changing room with one of her red gowns on. She looked between this for a second before her eyes settled on Draco.  
  
"Well you've grown sexy since last year," She said.  
  
I nearly fell down from shock. Draco looked slightly taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled slightly.  
  
"Why thank you," He said, "You've filled out quite well yourself."  
  
"Thank you," Ginny smiled as well before she took my spot in front of the mirror. I shook my head and went back into the dressing room to change back into my regular robes. I had decided on the black one, so I left the blue one in the room. The store's house elves would pick them up. I walked out with the black one on my arm and went to the checkout line. Ginny joined me a second later and we bought our gowns. We walked out of the store and while she went to the Three Broomsticks I headed back to the castle. When I passed the Shrieking Shack I saw Draco leaning against the fence and when I passed he started to walk along next to me.  
  
"Are you going back to the castle?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah," I said, switching the bag with my gown in it to my other hand, "You?"  
  
"I don't have anywhere in particular I need to go," He shrugged, "I might as well go back."  
  
"So what d'you do when you're not in the Room of Requirement?" I asked. He had been disappearing every now and then for hours at a time.  
  
"I go flying," He said, kicking a stone on the ground, "I just fly around the lake."  
  
"I've never been flying," I said. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me with a strange look on his face.  
  
"-Never-?" He said.  
  
  
  
I shook my head and smiled slightly.  
  
"Never."  
  
"D'you -want- to go flying?"  
  
"I can't," I laughed, "I'm scared of heights."  
  
"Well so was I."  
  
"My fear's to deep."  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"Really…"  
  
"Don't tell me you're going to try to get me over it…"  
  
"No, not unless you ask me to…"  
  
"You're trying to get me to ask."  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"And why do you want to fly with you?"  
  
"I just want you to ride my broomstick."  
  
I stopped and looked at him.  
  
"You little pervert," I said, allowing a smirk to creep up onto my face.  
  
"Isn't it wonderful?" He smirked and walked past me, looking over his shoulder at me. I shook my head and followed him up the road.   
  
"You're disturbing sometimes."  
  
"So are you."  
  
"Like when?"  
  
"Like when you know every little thing about every little thing."  
  
"It never hurts to be smart."  
  
"It never hurts to be stupid."  
  
He thought about what he had just said and raised a hand to his chin.  
  
"Wait a second…"  
  
"You're so blonde!"  
  
I shoved him slightly.  
  
"But you love me anyway." He smiled at me.  
  
"Whatever Draco."   
  
We stayed silent for the rest of the trip back to school. I headed towards the Room of Requirement while he went to the kitchens to get some butterbeers. I ran my fingers through my damp hair and collapsed into one of the armchairs. Draco came in the room ten minutes later with two butterbeers in his pocket and damp hair hanging in his face. He flicked his head back, making his hair flip back out of his eyes and handed me the drink before he collapsed into the chair next to mine.   
  
"What took you so long?" I asked him. It usually only takes five minutes to get to the kitchens and back from the Room of Requirement.   
  
"Filch," He frowned, "Wish he'd just die and save us all a lot of grief."  
  
"Don't say that!" I said, glancing at him, "What if he really does die tomorrow or something?"  
  
"Then I'll send a dead flower to his funeral."  
  
"Now that's just cruel.:  
  
"I know."  
  
"Freak."  
  
"Know-it-all."  
  
"You evil person."  
  
"No, I'm not quite there yet. I'm just slightly mean and rude."  
  
"Sure…"  
  
"You're being mean now…"  
  
"So?"  
  
"You're supposed to be nice."  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"Says McGonagall. You're a Head, remember?"  
  
"Well so are you."  
  
"But I don't like being a Head. Unlike you, I don't strive to be perfect all the time."  
  
"I don't strive to be perfect -all- the time."  
  
"Oh, yeah, sorry, you only strive to be perfect three-fourths of the time…The rest of the time you're sleeping."  
  
"You're being mean again."  
  
"So?"  
  
"And now you're repeating what I said."  
  
"And now you're repeating what I said."  
  
"Moron!"  
  
He inched back and looked at me with a strange look on his face.  
  
"Honestly, Hermione, you should really learn to grow up."   
  
I blinked at him a few times and thought about starting another tickle war, but I decided against it. He really -was- strong.  
  
"What time is it?" Draco asked a second later.  
  
"Er…Six fifty-nine."  
  
"Okay," He got up and walked to the door, "I have to go do some homework. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye Draco."  
  
He walked out of the door and I was left alone in the Room of Requirement. I stayed for ten more minutes before I got up and left as well. I got lonely when he wasn't here…Wait, did -I- just say that?  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
Five days left to the dance and I didn't have a date. Amazing. Well, actually I predicted this. But like I said, I'd still go to the ball. Apparently, Dumbledore had hired the Weird Sisters again and they really were a cool band. Yes, I'm a music freak. Deal with it.  
  
Classes were hectic. The teachers were giving us tons of work now so no one would have any work for the holidays. Since everyone was coming to the ball, Dumbledore had decided to move the holidays forward so they would be from the day after Christmas to the first Monday after New Years day. But I didn't really have to worry about that. After all, I was just going to stay at Hogwarts anyway. I mean, where do I have to go? In fact, where was I going to go after Hogwarts? I had no idea what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go…But I did have the Malfoy fortune still in my possession. According to the wizarding world, Lucius was dead, thus leaving me the heir to the money. But what was I going to -do- with it? I'd buy a new house, that was for sure, but after that there was nothing to do with it all. I guess I'd just figure it out when the time came…For now I'd just try to get through school…  
  
On Christmas Day I got up early. I was surprised to find two presents at the foot of my bed. I thought for sure I'd get nothing at all. I picked them both up and looked over them. One was from Hermione and the other was just printed with the letters WWW. I opened Hermione's first and pulled out a miniature figure of a black Vipertooth dragon. It looked at me and roared softly. I set it on my nightstand and looked over the other package. I finally figured it was safe and opened it. A blast of silver sparks erupted from it and a mistletoe flew up and positioned itself just out of reach over my head. I looked up at it for a while before I noticed a letter had come along with it in the box. I pulled it out and quickly scanned over it.  
  
-Dear Mr. Malfoy,  
  
You have just received the newest product from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, the Enchanted Mistletoe! When you get near the person you like (even if you don't realize you like them) the Mistletoe will shoot out silver sparks and you will be forced to kiss them! Do not try to destroy it. You will not be able to. It will wilt and die on its own by tomorrow. But for today there is nothing you can do about it.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Fred, George, and Virginia Weasley-  
  
I blinked a little as I stared at the paper, then looked up at the mistletoe hovering innocently above my head. I got up and got dressed. I didn't like anyone. What did I have to worry about? I still cursed myself for opening the package as I walked to the Great Hall, but everyone I passed had a Mistletoe hanging above their heads as well so I didn't feel as stupid when I reached the Great Hall. It seemed like the Weasley's had gone a little out of control on this one. It seemed like -everyone- had a Mistletoe over their head. Seriously, even a few of the teachers had the charmed mistletoes hovering over them. Even he Gryffindors got a hit from this one.   
  
I smirked slightly and went to sit at the Slytherin's table. They didn't look very happy about the object over their heads, but seeing as how they couldn't do anything about it they just let it be. I searched the Gryffindor table and found Ginny. She looked at me and smirked evilly. I glared at her and she threw her head back and laughed while pointing upwards. She too had a mistletoe over her head. I had a slight feeling of satisfaction from this. I kept scanning the table until my gaze settled on Hermione. She was talking to Harry about something. Suddenly, a silver spark shot out of the Mistletoe. Just one. I looked up at it, then back at Hermione. Another silver spark. I left my food and headed back to the Common Room. I couldn't like Hermione, could I? 'Even if you don't realize it.' That's what the letter said, right? I went to my room and spread out on my bed. I decided I wouldn't leave my room until the ball. If I met up with Hermione and the Mistletoe made me kiss her I'd probably lose the only friend I had at the moment. I only had ten hours until the ball…Yeah, -only- ten…  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I walked down to the Great Hall, my black gown trailing on the ground. There was an astounding amount of couples kissing with silver sparks erupting in huge streams from the Mistletoes above their heads. I too had one hovering above me, but I didn't like anyone…I think…I mean Draco was a good friend but I couldn't like him…Could I? I hadn't seen him all day. Well, just a glance as he rounded the corner to go to the Common Room. Oddly enough, when I saw him a single spark shot out of the Mistletoe. The words from the letter I had received with it had haunted me for the day after that, but I just shoved it to the back of my mind. I didn't need to waste my day worrying.  
  
I ran into Ginny at the bottom of the stairs and we started talking while she waited for her date.  
  
"Excellent hair, Hermione," She told me. I had straightened it again and streaked it with purple and braided a few pieces of it before teasing it slightly so it gained volume.  
  
"Now aren't you glad I chose your gown for you?" She asked.  
  
"Yes," I smiled, "Thank you for picking my gown out for me so I could go totally Goth for the ball."  
  
"Finally! I get some appreciation around here!"  
  
I rolled my eyes.  
  
"I have to go," Ginny had spotted her date, "See you Hermione."  
  
"Bye Ginny."  
  
She went on to the Great Hall and I followed soon after. I hadn't gotten a date, so I didn't have to wait and mill about the staircase. I took a seat by myself near the back. Mostly everyone had been through the routine to get the food and those who hadn't were being taught by the teachers and the seventh years, so everyone was already eating. I saw Draco enter when everyone was nearly done with their food. He sat down in the table nearest to the door and tried as hard as he could to become invisible. A silver spark shot out of the Mistletoe again and I looked up and glared at it. It was really getting annoying…  
  
Dumbledore stood up after a few minutes and the noise slowly died down.  
  
"Students are allowed to go outside and walk around the grounds," He started, "There had been an ice maze set up in the Quidditch Pitch, so you may also go there. Now, everyone, may I present the Weird Sisters!"  
  
The curtain on the magnificent stage that had been placed against the wall and the Weird Sisters started to play. I stayed through the first song before I got up and walked out the door, heading towards the Quidditch Pitch. I wanted to see the ice maze…  
  
It truly was amazing. The walls were semi-transparent so you could see the shadows of people traveling along through the maze. It was incredibly hard to get lost in this maze. There were maps set on every turn. I quickly made my way through the maze, slowly making my way to the center. As I passed a 'hall' (it's the only thing I can thing to call it) I looked down it and kept going, but then stopped and went back. Harry and Eliza were against a wall, apparently sharing their first kiss. Silver sparks exploded from both of their Mistletoes as they kissed, creating an odd glow about them. Eliza opened her eyes and caught sight of me. She lifted a hand and made a shooing motion at me. I smiled and moved on, getting closer and closer to the middle of the maze. I finally made it after five minutes. There was a fountain in the circle that spurted clear water as well as ice benches surrounding the place. No one was there, so I sat on the on of the ice benches. There was a spell on everything, so the ice was warm and it wouldn't melt. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. I let my thought drift until I heard someone coming. I opened my eyes in time to see Draco come into the center. Then three things happened nearly at once. I stood up, silver sparks erupted from both of our Mistletoes, and I felt an invisible force shove me forward until I was less that an inch away from him.  
  
"Well," He said, looking down at me with a slightly surprised look on his face, "I think my question was just answered."  
  
****  
  
A/N: Well, there's Chapter 8. Hope you like. Please review. 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Here's Chapter 9. No one gets the brownie points. They're all mine…*evil grin*  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 9  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I walked into my room three hours later in a slight daze. It had been the best night of my life. Seriously, it had been. I collapsed onto my bed and kicked off my shoes before I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in the golden sheets. I yawned and was about to get up and get ready for bed, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door.   
  
"Come in!" I yelled. The door opened and Harry walked in. He looked tired and slightly windswept. He yawned and sat on the edge of my bed.  
  
"What're you still doing up?" I asked him, walking to my trunk and digging through it to find to clothes I usually sleep in.   
  
"I took Eliza flying around the lake after the ball," He said, smiling slightly, "What about you? Why are you still up?"  
  
"I…" I tried to think up a lie. What was I going to say? I was snogging Draco all night? "I was just walking and thinking."  
  
"Really?" His expression grew slightly cold, "Funny…I saw you and a certain blonde Slytherin walking around the lake while I took Eliza out…"  
  
I paled and looked up from my trunk to stare him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow at me and waited for an answer.  
  
"Please understand Harry," I started, "Please…Just understand…"  
  
He smiled at me and laughed slightly.  
  
"It's okay Hermione," He said, "I understand."  
  
"Thank you!" I jumped at him and hugged him tightly. I didn't let him go until he started turning blue. He laughed and rubbed his throat.  
  
"You won't tell Ron, will you?" I asked, "I mean…I don't think he'll understand…In fact I -know- he won't understand…"  
  
"You're right, he won't…" Harry looked down and raised his eyebrows slightly, "But I didn't tell him, nor do I plan to."  
  
"I don't suppose you want me to hug you again?"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine…"  
  
I laughed.  
  
"But," He started, "I saw him walking away from the maze with an odd look on his face, like he wanted to kill everything on the planet or something…Believe me, I know the look…"  
  
He rubbed his scar with a dark look on his face.  
  
"What time is it?" I yawned, changing the subject quickly and looking at my clock.  
  
"Wow…It's past one…" Harry said.  
  
"You need to get out," I smiled, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him (which he caught and threw back at me), "I need to go to bed."  
  
"Fine," He got up and headed towards the door, "Night Hermione."  
  
"Night Harry."  
  
He left and I got changed and went to bed. I was probably going to regret spending all that time outside in the cold with Draco in the morning….On second thought, maybe not….  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I woke early in the morning. Okay…So it was only ten in the morning. But that's early when you're used to waking up at noon and you went to bed at two. Actually I used to go to bed at two a lot in the past, but I hadn't done that for a while so I was out of it.  
  
I forced myself up, got dressed in Muggle clothes (you weren't required to wear robes on the holidays), and headed down to the Great Hall. I thought about knocking on Hermione's door to ask her to walk down with me, but I thought better of it. I don't think the seven people who stayed (Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Weasel, Luna Lovegood, Eliza, and Terry Boot) were ready for a Slytherin/Gryffindor relationship. I was surprised when I walked into the Great Hall to say the least. There were two tables set, one round table where all the students and teachers were sitting, then another small rectangular one set in the corner. But it wasn't the tables that surprised me. It was the fact that Ginny, Luna, and Eliza were standing or sitting on the table in the corner, talking among themselves and looking like they were singing, but oddly not a sound came from their direction. I wondered how it was possible for them not to make a sound, but then something around them shimmered and I realized what it was. A Soundless Charm. It's like a mix between a Silencing Charm and the Bubblehead Charm; it contains sound into one area without letting anything out but still letting sound filter in. Harry, Weasel, and Terry were sitting around the circle table, watching the girls with a slight interest. I sat across from Harry and started to pile food onto my plate, yawning as I did so. I looked up when Hermione came in and smiled slightly at her. She blushed slightly and smiled back. She went to sit next to me, but when she reached the bench Eliza ran up and started to drag her over to the table all the other girls were at. She shrugged slightly and went back to the table with Eliza. When they got within five feet of the table a bubble seemed to flash around the table before you couldn't hear the girls talking anymore. I looked after them for a while before I turned back to the food on my plate.   
  
I finished quickly and, with one last look towards the table of girls (they were doing a dance on the tabletop now), headed towards the Library. There wasn't really anything else to do. The others were probably going to stay in the Great Hall or whatever. Since the threat of Voldemort had grown, more and more parents were taking their kids out during the holidays. It was like they thought their children would be killed before they saw them again. I didn't blame them. I knew the Dark Lord. If he wanted to, he could attack Hogwarts and probably kill half the students before someone got him to retreat. Seriously, he has enough power to do it. Not to mention all the damage the Death Eaters, vampires, and dementors could do. Yes, Voldemort had gained allies over his two years of power. Honestly, he couldn't have chosen two greater allies. The dementors have the Kiss and vampires are beautiful, seductive creatures that use their looks to get what they want before they kill their victim. Or turn them into one of their own. Whichever they prefer. If they attack they'll probably chose to turn us into them so they can raise their ranks. Nice way to go, huh?  
  
I headed towards the Potions section and grabbed a book on Invisibility Potions. I had a essay due on it by the first day back after Christmas vacation and I might as well get it done now so I don't have to worry about it later. It would be really, really bad if I forgot about it and turned it in late. I went to the back and sat down at a table far away from the front door. Amazing. Even when there were only seven people in the castle I tried to hide…  
  
I sat and read until I saw someone's thigh out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and was greeted with Hermione's smiling face.  
  
"Hey," She said, sitting down at the table next to me.   
  
"Hi," I replied, closing my book and leaning back in my chair, "So did you have fun last night?"  
  
She laughed softly.  
  
"Oh, yes," She replied, "Very enjoyable indeed."  
  
"Would you like to do it again sometime?"  
  
"Depends…" She put a finger to her chin and looked up in mock thought, "When and where?"  
  
"Do you want to take a walk around the lake tonight?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Harry and Eliza have taken that spot…" She said, "Then again…Now that they know…"  
  
"What?!"  
  
I'm pretty sure wherever she was, Madam Pince glared at me.  
  
"They saw us walking last night…" She got a sorry look on her face.  
  
"Around the lake?"  
  
"Yeah, that's the one…"  
  
"What about the maze? Or the garden?"  
  
"No, he didn't see us then…"  
  
"Good."  
  
"But Ginny saw us in the maze and Luna and Terry saw us in the garden…"  
  
"You're kidding me."  
  
"I wish I was…"  
  
"They won't tell, will they?"  
  
"They all swore they wouldn't tell…"  
  
"Wonderful…"  
  
"That is, they wouldn't tell Ron…"  
  
"Could you please stop that?"  
  
"They won't tell the other students, don't worry."  
  
"Are you certain?"  
  
"Pretty sure at least…"  
  
"Why didn't the Sorting Hat just put you in Ravenclaw…"  
  
"Because then Harry wouldn't have met me, he would've died at the age of eleven, then Voldemort would have regained power much earlier and thus the whole Wizarding World would have been doomed."  
  
"You are -so- under-appreciated…"  
  
"I know, aren't I?"  
  
I rolled my eyes and she playfully shoved me in the arm.  
  
"You're not supposed to do that to your boyfriend, you know…"  
  
"You hurt the ones you love, Draco dear." She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me.  
  
"You love me then?" I shouldn't push it. She had already announced our relationship as official boyfriend/girlfriend by not contradicting me when I called myself her boyfriend. I was content with that but I still wasn't completely over my bratty, spoiled child thing.  
  
"Only if the feeling is mutual."  
  
She was trapping me. If I didn't love her I was falling fast.  
  
"That's exactly what I think."  
  
"Alright then."  
  
She looked down at her watch.  
  
"I have to go," She leaned forward and kissed me quickly, "See you later."  
  
"Bye," I said as she got up and walked away. I kept reading until at least an hour had passed before I checked out the book and headed back to the Common Room. I went straight to my room and was surprised to find a small stack of gifts on my bed. It was only three presents, but still…For me it was a lot. I put down my bag and looked at the tags on the presents. One was from Hermione, one was from Ginny, and the other was from Dumbledore. I didn't really understand why Ginny and Dumbledore had sent me presents, but I wasn't one to complain. Hermione's present was a small statue of a Vipertooth Dragon, Ginny's was a chess board, and Dumbledore's was…a box full of my mother's jewels and other close possessions. I put that box in the bottom of my trunk. I didn't want any reminders of my life before last summer. I put the chessboard on my desk in the corner and set the small statue on my nightstand. I sprawled on my bed and put my arm over my eyes. I felt myself slowly slipping into sleep and I didn't fight it. There wasn't anything else to do. Think about it: One big castle plus seven people minus one-and-a-half enemies equals boredom. It's that simple. Or not. I don't want to think about it right now…  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I finally walked into my room at about nine o' clock at night. I had walked around the ground a while with Luna, Ginny, and Eliza talking about our boyfriends and whatever else popped into our heads. The first thing I noticed was a single present on my bed. I had opened the presents from Harry, Ginny, Luna, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin early in the morning, but this present was new. It hadn't been there in the morning. I picked it up and looked at the tag. It was from Draco. I slowly opened the package and gasped when I saw what was in it. It was a silver charm of a dragon hanging from a silver chain with a small diamond clutched in its claws. I moved my hair away from the back of my neck and put the necklace on. I turned it over in my fingers for a while before I lay back on my bed and went to sleep. I made myself remember to give Draco the best kiss of his life in the morning…  
  
A/N: Hi, sorry it took so log but high school is kind of tiring. Can't wait 'til Christmas Break…Press the button at the bottom of the page and tell me what you think. Chapter 10 to come soon! 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hi! Thanks to all who reviewed chapter 9. My goal is to get over 50 reviews and you're certainly helping me on my way. Hope you like this one. Enjoy!  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 10  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I woke on Valentines Day to find a bouquet of yellow roses on my nightstand. I sat up and checked the tag, smiling when I saw Draco's name on it. We had continued dating after the Yule Ball, switching nights around the lake with Eliza and Harry or walking through the Hogwarts garden. It had been raining hard nearly every night lately so the flowers were in full bloom. The people that had caught us kissing during the Yule Ball had kept their promises. No one else knew about Draco and I, although Ginny tried using it for blackmail a few times over…  
  
I got dressed and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast. I just stayed a second to grab two apples and rushed up to the Room of Requirement. Draco turned and looked at me when I walked in. He smiled as I threw one of the apples at him and sat down in the chair next to him.   
  
"Thanks," He said, biting into the apple and getting up to look along the row of books along the wall, "Is the Hogsmede trip still scheduled for today or is it raining too hard?"  
  
"It's raining too hard," I shrugged slightly.  
  
"So that means the walk around the lake is off as well?" He looked back at me.  
  
"Well, unless you want to swim the whole way…"  
  
"If it's with you, I'll do anything…" He looked up and smiled at me. I returned the smile while my face turned red. His smile widened when he saw me blushing and a small laugh escaped his lips.  
  
"And what's so funny?" I asked, standing up and putting my hands on my hips.  
  
He crossed the room and stood in front of me, the smile still playing on his face.  
  
"You," He said simply, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Really?" I matched his grin with my own as I looked up at him. He just nodded and kept staring at me. I nodded back, but then I threw myself at him and we started another tickle war. We had gotten into five wars since the first night in the Room of Requirement, and Draco had won them all. But, I kept starting them because it was the only time I really heard him laugh. Normally he just had that small smile across his face. He won this time as well, and we both sat on the floor, grins still on our faces. We just sat there, not talking until a knock on the door shattered the silence. We looked at each other disbelievingly. No one had EVER knocked on the door. No one. Without waiting for someone to answer, Eliza burst in.  
  
"You're never going to believe this!" She started, but then stopped and looked at us sitting side by side on the floor, our hair messy and our faces red.  
  
"You two weren't doing the Nasty, were you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and pointing at us.  
  
"No!" I said immediately, standing up while Draco suddenly started laughing uncontrollably.   
  
"So -anyways-," Eliza started again after looking at Draco, who was still on the floor laughing, "The Ravenclaw Head, that Marie O'Conner girl, apparently her father is on the Hogwarts Council and he got the others to vote for her for Head Girl, 'cause you know the Council chooses who becomes Heads, so he bribed them and now that he got found out Marie got kicked out and guess who's the new Head now?"   
  
"Um…You?" Draco had finally stopped laughing and was looking at Eliza with a look of wonderment on his face, surprised she could say all that in just one breath.  
  
"How'd you guess?" Eliza had calmed down slightly and became her old sarcastic self in an instant, "So have you seen Harry? I still need to tell him."  
  
"Um…Try his room or the Library," I answered, "He might be there…Or maybe he got the shift to check around the castle…I hope not, he'll have to use a boat to get around…"  
  
"Thanks," She said, "See you later!"  
  
She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Draco and I alone again.   
  
"That was interesting," Draco said after a moment of silence. I glanced at him and started to giggle.  
  
"I've never seen her act so exited," I said once my giggles had died down.  
  
"She acted like that when she got a crup for her fifth birthday," He said, picking himself up off the floor and slumping into a chair.  
  
"How would you know?" I asked him.  
  
"She lived in the mansion next to mine," He answered, shrugging slightly, "We've known each other since we were born."  
  
"She never told me that," I said, sitting on the arm of Draco's chair.  
  
"She thought it might piss Harry off if he know she was my friend, so she didn't tell anyone."  
  
He reached up and put a hand on my back, gently moving it up and down along my spine. I shivered slightly. I looked down at him and smiled.  
  
"I haven't thanked you for the flowers yet, have you?" I asked him. An impish grin spread across his face.  
  
"No," He answered, "You haven't."  
  
"Really…"  
  
He pulled me down into his lap and my smile grew wider. He leaned forward to give me a kiss, but another knock on the door stopped us. Draco groaned and slumped backwards as I got up out of his lap.  
  
"Oh yes," He muttered to himself, "They just -decide- to visit -today-…"  
  
I let out a laugh and opened to door. To my surprise, Harry stood there, soaking wet and out of breath.  
  
"Harry!" I cried as he slumped sideways against the doorframe.  
  
"Where's Eliza?" He asked, pushing himself back and shaking his hair out of his face.  
  
"In either the Library or the Common Room," I said faintly, "Harry, what happened to you?"  
  
"Yeah Potter," Draco walked up behind me, "You don't look so well…"  
  
"Both of you go to Dumbledore's office," Harry said quickly, looking around, "He'll explain it."  
  
With that said he ran off down the hall and Draco and I glanced at each other once before we started to run down the five floors to Dumbledore's office. We made it and were surprised to find the rest of the Heads (minus Harry and Eliza) standing around the gargoyle, talking in hushed whispers.  
  
"So what's going on?" Terry asked us when we ran up, "Why did Potter call us all here?"  
  
"I have no idea," I answered as Draco shrugged beside me. A second later Harry ran up with Eliza behind him. He shoved past us all and ran up to the gargoyle.  
  
"Fawks," He managed to gasp. The gargoyle jumped forward and allowed all of us to pile on the moving staircase. Harry just sprinted up the stairs to reach the door quicker and, with a quick glance at each other, we all followed. The door was already open when we reached it, so we just walked in. Harry was sitting on the edge of Dumbledore's desk with Dumbledore standing next to him. We all filed in and stood in front of the two, waiting for one of them to explain to us why we were called there.  
  
"I suppose you're all wondering why you were called here," Dumbledore said, nearly reading our minds. Everyone nodded and glanced at each other.   
  
"Well," Dumbledore glanced over at Harry, who looked down at his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, "As you know, the threat of Lord Voldemort--"--A gasp went around the room--"has been growing over the last seven years. He has had his eyes set on conquering this school since he came back into power, and now that fear must be realized because he is now closer to achieving this goal than he has ever been before."  
  
Another gasp went around the room and whispers broke out among the group.  
  
"How?" Draco asked, growing even paler than usual.  
  
"Apparently," Dumbledore said gravely, "While on his check around the castle, Mr. Potter here was confronted by several Death Eaters and managed to get away just as he saw Lord Voldemort emerge from the Forbidden Forest."  
  
"So does that mean…" Hannah whispered.  
  
"I am afraid that Voldemort is hiding in the Forest, and he may be poised to attack."  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
We left and went our separate ways. Harry and Eliza headed off to the Common Room, holding hands and talking in hushed whispers while Hermione and I headed down to the Great Hall. Dinner wasn't fully over yet, so we decided we might as well grab something to eat before we went back to the Room of Requirement. We were stopped at the door however, when Pansy and her gang came out.   
  
"So the rumors are true then, Draco dear," She smirked at me.  
  
"And what rumors would that be?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and raising an eyebrow.  
  
"That you're dating a Mudblood."  
  
I glared at her as my hands clenched as much as they would allow with my arm in the way.  
  
"So it's true," She crowed, "Apparently that beating you're father gave you didn't do anything for you."  
  
My head snapped up and my glare intensified.   
  
"It's a shame, really," Pansy shifted her weight onto one leg and put a hand on her hip, "I would've done -so- much better."  
  
I still kept my silence, but I dropped my hands to my side and felt myself subconsciously get ready to pounce. Hermione glanced over to me and reached out to touch my arm.  
  
"C'mon Draco," She said softly, "Let's go…"  
  
I looked over to her and saw the pleading look in her eyes. I nodded and unclenched my fists. We walked past Pansy and were about to walk into the Great Hall when Pansy yelled at me.  
  
"You'll end up just like him, you know!" She screeched at me, "You'll end up hurting her just like he hurt you! You'll end up just like him, you already -are- just like him!"  
  
I turned slowly to face her. My hands had clenched again and I raised a fist to punch her. Just as I was about to lunge and beat Pansy's face in, but Hermione's scream stopped me when my fist was only an inch away from Pansy's nose.  
  
"See?" She smirked at be, never flinching, "I told you."  
  
She turned swiftly with her gang behind her and headed off somewhere. I stared after her, dumbstruck, for a moment before I turned and punched the stone wall four times. I only stopped when I felt something crack and realized it was my finger breaking. I couldn't feel the pain yet, but I knew it would come. It always came. I held my fist against the wall for a second before I looked over to Hermione. She had a hand up to her mouth and looked like she was about to cry.  
  
"Draco…" She whispered. I saw the hurt in her eyes, and immediately punched to wall again.  
  
"Christ!" I whispered angrily at myself before turning and stalking towards the doors that led to the grounds. At the moment, I didn't care if it was raining. I didn't care if Voldemort was just outside to boundaries of the school. All I cared about was that I had hurt Hermione by hurting myself and my father's eyes, the same shade as my own, filled with hate.  
  
"Draco!" Hermione called after me.  
  
"Stay away…" I growled. I didn't have to look at her to know I had hurt her yet again. I felt a hot wave of hate wash over me, but it soon went away when I stepped out into the cold rain. I sighed and walked forward until I could barely see the lights of the Great Hall. I stopped and stood still, concentrating on the rain beating on the back on my neck. I just stood there, slowly getting soaked through, until a cold voice I knew only to well broke me out of my trance.  
  
"Hello, son," Lucius said coldly, "How have you been?"  
  
****  
  
A/N: Okay, I'm going to leave it there. Chapter 11 to come soon. Please review. 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I finally got to 50! Now here's Chapter 11.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 11  
  
*****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
"Lucius," I said dumbly. My mind was telling me it -couldn't- be true, that my father -couldn't- be standing in front of me in the hard rain, but he was. He sat there calmly, looking at me with the steely gray eyes that I knew all to well.  
  
"I -said-," Lucius said coldly, "How have you been?"  
  
"I've been living in Hell," I answered, my voice easily just as cold, "And it's all because of you."  
  
"Really," He laughed hollowly, "Well that's not what my spies tell me…"  
  
"And what -do- your spies tell you?" I smirked slightly, "To stop touching yourself?"  
  
Lucius glared at me.  
  
"Quite the contrary," He said calmly, masking his anger like he always did, "They tell me you've gotten a girlfriend, a Mudblood actually…"  
  
He smirked coldly.  
  
"You could have done -so- much better."  
  
"Do -not- call her that," I growled, my fists balling up next to my side and my right hand immediately unclenching when a sharp jab of pain shot through my broken finger. Lucius looked startled for a split second before he donned the cold mask again.  
  
"Seem to have hit a nerve, haven't I?" He laughed coldly, "And she's one of Potter's friends, eh? She will die you know. One way or the other, she will die."  
  
I could see it in his eyes. He wasn't lying.  
  
"But, then again, you'll look forward to it."  
  
"And why is that?" I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Because you'll already be dead."  
  
In a single second, he sprinted towards me, reached into his cloak, pulled a sword out of his belt, and ran it through my stomach. He kept going until the hilt stopped him from going any further. I slumped forward, staring in blank surprise over Lucius' shoulder.  
  
"Remember one thing, Draco," He hissed in my ear, "I never had a son."  
  
He pulled the sword out of my stomach, wiped the blood on the arm of my robes, turned, and started walking towards the Forbidden Forest. I fell forward onto my knees, clutching my stomach, and then fell completely. I couldn't feel the pain. As I said before, it would come. Eventually, it would come. But for now, it was gone and for that I was thankful.   
  
Many memories ran through my head. Most of them either included my mother or Hermione. There were even a few of Eliza and I playing together when we were small children. After a while I realized my life was flashing before my eyes. Was this the end? Wonder when they'd find my body….How would Hermione react? Eliza? The rest of the school? The Slytherins would probably celebrate….Slytherins…This was probably a trap. Pansy was sent on purpose to piss me off and send me outside so Lucius would find me….Not that it mattered now….The pain was starting to come now. It was numb and dull at first, but now it was like a constant throbbing pain. Everything was blacking out now…I couldn't hear the rain anymore…I could barely feel it falling against my face…I stared at a puddle of blood in front of me. It was slowly growing. It was my blood, wasn't it? Didn't know I had that much…Suddenly, a huge boot appeared in front of my face. I used my last bit of energy lifting my head to see who it was. I stared up into Hagrid's face. He said something, but I couldn't make out exactly what it was, partially because I couldn't hear anything at all and partially because I passed out before he was done.  
  
----  
  
  
  
"Do we know what happened, Poppy?"  
  
"No Albus, according to Miss Granger he went outside and three minutes later was found by Hagrid bleeding to death."  
  
"Speaking of that, where is Miss Granger?"  
  
"She's waiting right outside the door with Potter, Hawkings, Lovegood, and the two Weasleys."  
  
"Will you let them in?"  
  
"Once we patch him up a bit."  
  
"Do you think he might…"  
  
"I don't know Albus…I really don't know. At this point it's up to him…"  
  
"Is he awake?"  
  
"What? Oh dear! Mr. Malfoy!"  
  
I opened my eyes slightly and immediately closed them against the glare of the lights from the Hospital Wing.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy!" I heard Dumbledore's voice, but it was slowly fading away, "Can you tell us who did this to you?"  
  
I felt my head go from side to side.  
  
"Was it Voldemort?"  
  
My head went side to side again.  
  
"Was it a Death Eater?"  
  
My head went up and down.  
  
"Was it Lucius?"  
  
I nodded one more time.  
  
"I see. Poppy! Go tell--"  
  
I blacked out again before he could finish the sentence.  
  
----  
  
"You might as well let them in, Albus. I've done the best I can do."  
  
"Will he make it?"  
  
"As I said before, he's still on the edge. It's up to him now."  
  
"Fine. Let his friends and let them stay all night if they wish. Draco's going to need them."  
  
----  
  
I opened my eyes and sat up. Wait a second….That's not possible. I looked behind me and saw myself on the hospital bed, looking deathly pale and sick.  
  
-Alright-, I thought to myself, -I'm either dreaming or I'm dead.-  
  
But no, I wasn't dead. My--that is to say, the me on the hospital bed--chest was rising, so I was breathing at least. Thus, unless I was very much mistaken, I was still alive. So the only possibility left was that I was dreaming. So, I might as well sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.   
  
The door opened and Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Luna Lovegood, and Weasel walked in. Weasel apparently had only come in because he was having an argument with Hermione. They were trying their best to keep the noise down, but they were having trouble doing so. Well, Weasel was at least. Hermione kept her voice at an unchanging tone with no emotion in it at all.  
  
"He's a Slytherin, Hermione!" Weasel half-yelled as everyone except Hermione and himself pulled up a chair and started to watch the shouting match.  
  
"So?" Hermione sighed and turned to face him, "Is it any different from a Gryffindor dating a Ravenclaw? Or a Hufflepuff?"  
  
"Of course it is!" Weasel's face was starting to turn red.  
  
"How?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Tell me how, Ron."  
  
"Because…"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Think of everything he's done to you Hermione!" Weasel was getting desperate now, "All the name's he's called you!"  
  
"He's changed, Ron!"  
  
"How do you know that for sure, Hermione? He could be putting on an act!"  
  
"Accept it Ron!" Hermione finally screamed at him, stamping her foot on the ground, "I chose him over you! Get over it!"  
  
Weasel looked at her with a dumbstruck look on his face for a second, then his face changed into one of intense anger. He let out a yell and shoved Hermione backwards. Her cheek caught on a loose jagged screw sticking out from the corner of my bed and a gash appeared across her face. I nearly leaped at him, but remembered that it would make no difference. Eliza hit him for me anyway. She stood calmly, her normally green eyes glinting yellow, and punched him directly in the nose. Then kept on punching him for two minutes straight until Harry got up from his seat and gently pulled her off him.  
  
"You're going to kill him if you keep on" He said softly.  
  
"That's a bad thing?" She raised an eyebrow, watching as a very bloody Ron got up of the floor and looked at Harry.  
  
"You're supposed to be my best friend Harry," Weasel said slowly, "And you, Ginny, you're my sister."  
  
"You aren't Ron," Ginny said, standing up and walking to stand next to Harry, "My brother would never have hurt his friends."  
  
Weasel started at her for a second before swearing loudly and leaving, slamming the door after him.  
  
"He's not going to jump off a tower now, is he?" Harry asked Ginny.  
  
"Don't -think- so…"Ginny sighed and collapsed in the seat behind her, "Wouldn't be surprised if he did though."  
  
"Shouldn't you go talk to him?" Luna looked up at Ginny with unnaturally wide eyes, "If he dies won't you be sad?"  
  
"Hey," Ginny shrugged, "I get another room if he dies."  
  
Eliza looked over to Ginny for a moment before she let out a bitter laugh.  
  
"We shouldn't wish for any more death," She said softly, "We're surrounded by enough of it already."  
  
She looked at me sadly as Hermione picked herself of the floor, tears falling silently down her face. She grabbed a chair and slid it next to my bed, taking my cold hand in hers and staring blankly at my face. Eliza and Harry sat down next to Luna and Ginny and they all sunk into silence. The tears kept falling down Hermione's face, and even though I knew it wouldn't help at all, I reached forward to brush them off. Surprisingly, a single tear got caught on my finger, and Hermione gasped and looked up at where I was sitting. It was almost like she knew I was there, like she saw me for a split second before I was gone.  
  
"What is it?" Eliza asked when she heard Hermione's gasp.  
  
"Nothing…" Hermione tore her gaze away and tried to smile slightly, "Just thought I saw something."  
  
"Okay…"Eliza shook her head slightly in concern.  
  
"I'm fine," Hermione said, "I really am."  
  
"That's what Draco always said," Eliza said softly, "He used to sneak into my house when he was young after Lucius beat him and sleep on my floor…Most of the bloodstains are still on my carpet…"  
  
  
  
"That's horrible," Hermione grimaced.  
  
"He never showed the pain though," Eliza muttered, "Never once."  
  
"He's good at that," Hermione said, smiling bitterly.  
  
"True," Eliza smirked, "I've seen him break his leg and never even yell."  
  
"That's not human," Ginny muttered, sinking down lower in her seat.  
  
"If you have veela blood in you, you can usually stand pain more than normal humans."  
  
"So he -is- part veela," Ginny said, "I thought his hair was to blonde."  
  
"Hey!" Eliza said in mock anger, allowing her own white-blonde hair to fall over her shoulders.  
  
"Oh," Ginny acted like she was hurt, "I'm so sorry! Please, have mercy!"  
  
They started to laugh slightly, not sure if it was a proper moment. They were saved by a knock on the door. Luna stood up and opened the door, allowing Dumbledore to walk in.  
  
"Have you found him yet?" Eliza immediately asked.  
  
"No," Dumbledore sighed, "But we did find out a few things about the new forces Voldemort has managed to round up."  
  
"How bad is it?" Hermione asked.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Apparently he has gathered the Dementors, half of the vampire and veela clans, as well as most of the centaurs and giants," He said gravely.  
  
"You're joking," Ginny said unbelievingly.  
  
"I'm afraid not Miss Weasley," Dumbledore sighed, "In fact, the only thing preventing him from attacking Hogwarts at this very moment is his troops. He's waiting to gather them all here before he attacks. As I said before, there -is- a war beginning. My only concern is, how many of Hogwarts students will stay on our side?"  
  
A/N: Okay, there's Chapter 11. Tell me what you think! Chapter 12 to come soon. 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hehe, scared you, didn't I? So here's Chapter 12. Hope you like it.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 12  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
There was a ringing silence after Dumbledore told us about Voldemort's troops while everyone processed the information.  
  
"Oh my God," Eliza finally said, "He could completely take over the school."  
  
"We -can- stop him, can't we?" Hermione asked.  
  
"It doesn't look likely," Dumbledore said gravely.  
  
"Can't we get other people to help us?" Ginny asked, "Other members of the Order or something?"  
  
"Voldemort's guarding the gates to the school," Dumbledore replied, "There's no way -anyone- can get in or out."  
  
"Can't they just fly in?" Eliza asked, "Just come in on broomsticks?"  
  
"The centaurs are expert archers. Whoever we sent for would be shot down before they got here."  
  
"But that would mean…" Ginny bit her bottom lip.  
  
"We're doomed," Luna finished the sentence.  
  
"Is he coming for me?" Harry asked suddenly, drawing all the eyes in the room towards him.  
  
Dumbledore didn't answer, he just lowered his head.  
  
Harry swore and left the room, punching the door as he left. Eliza looked down at her feet, then at the door, then looked at me (surprisingly the me floating above the one on the bed), then back to the door. She then got up and walked out after Harry. Dumbledore left soon after that, and the room became as quiet as a tomb.   
  
I suddenly had an idea and jumped off the bed, landing without a sound about two inches above the ground. I ran out the door and followed the hallway until I caught up with Eliza, who was running after Harry. I followed them down hallway after hallway, through secret passage after secret passage until Eliza turned a corner and Harry wasn't in front of her anymore. She looked around for him for a second before turning and walking towards the stairs that led to the Common Room. I looked back in time to see Harry's head appear out of nowhere. Apparently, he had his Invisibility Cloak with him. He turned and walked through a tapestry while I turned and followed Eliza. She walked slowly to the Common Room, then went straight to her room, with me following her the whole way. She closed the door behind her (or should I say us?) and collapsed on the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. She let out a few collective curses before turning and turning on her CD player. I was surprised to hear it play. Apparently she created a spell which was a mix between the Bubble-Head Charm and the Invulnerability Spell. She was always good at making hybrid spells and charms. She tried to teach me how she created them when we were in third year, but it was extremely too complicated. After a second, Third Eye Blind started playing. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a sketchbook, then pulled a pencil out from a small box on her nightstand. She started writing rapidly, saying swears or softly singing along with the music every time she paused. I glided behind her and looked at what she was writing. She was making another hybrid apparently. A list of complicated numbers and figures were written down in one column and a list of spells and charms were written down in another column next to the first. She must have been making another hybrid. She worked on the hybrid for about ten minutes before she went to the bathroom and changed into an oversized gray T-Shirt and red boxers. Then she changed the CD to Nirvana and continued working on the hybrid. After another ten minutes, she glanced at the clock and put everything down. She turned off the CD player, and headed towards the door, actually walking -through- me as she left. She stopped for a second and shivered before she walked out the door and crossed the room, stopping outside Harry's. She didn't knock and instead just walked into the dark room. She stopped for a while her eyes adjusted to the darkness before crossing over to the bed and tapping the dark form beneath the sheets.  
  
"Harry?" She asked carefully.  
  
Harry lifted his head of the pillow and rolled over, allowing Eliza to slide into bed beside him.  
  
"We shouldn't see each other anymore…" Harry muttered, "If Voldemort finds out you might get hurt…"  
  
"I don't care if I get hurt," Eliza said simply, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, "Not as long as you're with me."  
  
"But why would you put yourself in danger like that?"  
  
"'Cause I love you."  
  
By now my eyes had adjusted well enough to the darkness to see Harry's face, and I could tell it was the first time Eliza had said it.  
  
"I'm not worth loving," Harry said, raising himself onto his elbow, "Not if it gets you killed."  
  
"I -told- you," Eliza said, "As long as you're with me I don't care."  
  
"But…"  
  
"Shut up, Potter," Eliza pushed him down, "It'll all work out for the best, I promise."  
  
"Whatever you say, Eliza," Harry laid back down next to her, "Whatever you say."  
  
I turned and walked out through the door (yes, -through- the door), then headed back up towards the Hospital Wing. When I got there it was nearly the same as how I had left it. Ginny and Luna were sitting there staring at Hermione, who was still sitting next to my bed, staring at me with tears running down her face. Luna and Ginny glanced at each other and stood.  
  
"I'm going to go find Ron," Ginny said, "Luna, want to come?"  
  
Luna nodded and they both left, leaving Hermione alone. As soon as the door close, Hermione completely broke down. She started to sob uncontrollably and the tears started to fall more rapidly. I walked up behind her and tried to embrace her from behind, but my hands passed right through her. Hermione stopped suddenly and looked behind her before she wiped her face on the sleeve of her robes and looked back at me.  
  
"You can't die, Draco," She whispered, "I love you too much for you to die."  
  
****  
  
A/N: Oh joy, the fluff reigns supreme!!! Sorry it's so short. I'll get Hermione's POV in the next chapter, I promise. So hope you like, Chapter 13 to come soon.  
  
And Justin, when you read this, no perv jokes about it, okay? Not in reviews, not at school, nowhere. Clear? 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Are you freakin' happy Justin? Thanks for still reading. There will probably only be like…two to five more chapters. So, here's Chapter 13. Love it, love it I say!  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 13  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I opened my eyes and was immediately met with the piercing lights of the Hospital Wing and a weight on my chest. I tried to lift my head up, but found it to heavy for me to do so. I tried again after a second and was surprised to find Hermione sleeping with her head resting on my chest, her face streaked with long-dried tears. I lifted the one arm she wasn't pinning down and rested it on her head, gently stroking her hair. She shifted slightly and a new tear slipped between her closed eyelids and trailed halfway down her cheek before it fell and hit the blanket. I smiled slightly and continued stroking her hair until she finally opened her eyes and looked up at me. She stared at me for a split second, tears welling up in her eyes, before she threw herself at me and started sobbing on my shoulder.  
  
"I'm okay, Hermione," I managed to say, my voice rough from not being used for a few days.  
  
"I know," She pulled back and wiped her face, "I know."  
  
It was then that I noticed a bandage along her cheek, right where I had seen her cut it when Weasel pushed her down. I trailed my finger along the bandage and raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"So did Weasel really jump of the tower after he ran out?" I asked. Hermione looked confused for a second, then her eyes widened.  
  
"How…How do you--?" She looked utterly dumbstruck.  
  
"It's too complicated to understand…" I smiled, "So did he?"  
  
"No," Hermione sighed, "Although he -did- get a hold of a knife and carved his arm up pretty badly…"  
  
"So why isn't he -here-?"  
  
"He didn't want to be near you so he got Luna to patch him up."  
  
"-Luna-?"  
  
"Amazing, isn't it?"  
  
"What about Harry? And Eliza? Are they okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Hermione smirked slightly, "In fact, they've taken our place in the Room of Requirement."  
  
"Well that's not fair…"  
  
"But Eliza's using all her extra free time to come up with hybrids."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"So she can create a spell strong enough to defeat Voldemort as well as block the Killing Curse."  
  
"Is she making progress?"  
  
"I don't know…The only person she shares her progress with is Professor Snape."  
  
"Snape?"  
  
"Yes, Snape. Apparently, he knows a bit about hybrids as well."  
  
"That's…disturbing…"  
  
"Well, whatever saves us…"  
  
"True…So do you know when I can get out of here?"  
  
"The wound was pretty bad Draco…"  
  
"That's not what I asked."  
  
"I can't tell you, Draco. I truthfully don't know."  
  
"Wait…Exactly -how- bad was the wound?"  
  
Hermione sighed and reached under the bed, then pulled a huge jar filled with a red liquid.  
  
"Is that…" I asked, trailing off when I realized what it was.  
  
"It's all from you."  
  
I pushed the blankets back and looked at my naked chest. I had about two inches of bandages, but blood -still- stained them. I winced slightly and pulled the blanket back up before looking back towards her. She placed the jar of my blood back on the floor and stared at it for a while before she slowly turned her gaze back to me.  
  
"If Hagrid had found you a minute later you'd be…" She bit her bottom lip. She couldn't say it.  
  
"Dead." I finished for her. She sobbed and nodded, her hair masking her face so I couldn't see the tears I knew were falling. I reached forward to brush them off, but was stopped when the door slammed open and Eliza was carried in. She was in full Quidditch uniform (she was the seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team) and her head was bleeding terribly. Harry was carrying her, one hand still clutching the Golden Snitch, and a look of fury on his face.  
  
"What happened?" Hermione asked, standing up and rushing forward to help.  
  
Harry shook his head, his eyes wide and his face pale. He looked from Hermione, to me, then back to the door he came in through before he walked forward and gently placed Eliza on the bed. A storm of swears suddenly started echoing through the room Harry had just came out of and a second later Ginny came in, covered with mud and in full Quidditch uniform much like Eliza and Harry.  
  
"Those stupid, cowardly, sons of bi--" Ginny started to yell, but was cut off when Weasel suddenly appeared behind her and clamped a hand over her mouth.   
  
"What happened?!" Hermione asked again, getting frantic. Ron let go of Ginny and pushed her gently forward, causing the sleeve of his robes to fly back and reveal a layer of bandages wrapped around his left arm.  
  
"Let her tell it," He said, glancing at me, then Hermione, "I have to go put the trophy up…"  
  
"The Slytherins!" Ginny yelled once Weasel had walked out the door, "During the match they threw a huge load of curses and spells at our teams! They knocked Eliza off her broom for Christ's sake!"  
  
"But they always do that…" Hermione said, glancing at Harry, who had gotten even paler.  
  
"No, Hermione," Ginny sighed, "They threw some -serious- curses."  
  
"You mean…"  
  
"They sent the Unforgivable Spells."  
  
"Is anyone hurt?"  
  
"Hermione, Eliza is bleeding from the ears. What do you think?"  
  
"I mean is anyone dead?"  
  
"No, but all of the Slytherins are gone!"  
  
"-All- of them?"  
  
"Well, all of the ones who're in Voldemort's league left!"  
  
"So that means four-fifths of the entire Slytherin house is gone?" I asked. Ginny let out a squeal and looked towards me.  
  
"Oh, your awake!" She said, before nodding, "They planned the whole thing as well! Some were hiding under the seats for Christ's sake!"  
  
"Oh my dear Lord…"  
  
There was silence for a moment as Ginny finally calmed down.  
  
"Well," She said, "Let's look at the bright side."  
  
"What bright side?" I asked, laughing bitterly.  
  
"We won the House Cup."  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
After two hours Eliza still hadn't regained consciousness. Draco had been able to stand, thus he had gone into the bathroom and gotten changed before coming out and waiting with us. Madam Pomfrey had been able to stop the blood gushing out of Eliza's ears, nose, and mouth, but hadn't been able to wake her up through the concussion. She stirred every few minutes, but other than that she showed no signs of waking up. Harry sat next to her bed, clutching her hand like I had done to Draco just minutes before., still incredibly pale. After an hour, Ginny, Draco, and I went down to get some food for Harry since he hadn't eaten all day. On the way down the stairs, Ginny started fuming again.  
  
"Those stupid cowards!" She burst out, "They started casting right when Harry caught the Snitch!"  
  
"How many people were hit?" Draco asked, "No one else went to the Hospital Wing."  
  
"You're forgetting," I said, "There are two separate wards, one for minor cases and one for serious cases."  
  
"Nine people got hit," Ginny said, "Luna, Terry, Dimitri, and Pietro from the Ravenclaw team and Colin, Dean, Andrew, and Jack from Gryffindor."  
  
"And Eliza's the ninth."  
  
"Yeah. D'you know why Harry's so torn up about it? Other than the fact that it's his girlfriend I mean?"  
  
"Why?" Draco asked as we rounded the last corner before we reached the Great Hall. Ginny stopped us.  
  
"One of the Slytherins threw the Killing Curse at him," She said, her expression changing to complete seriousness, "Eliza swerved in front of him and cast one of her hybrids. When it hit the Curse, it changed somehow, but it still kept coming, so she flew in front of it and took the hit for him.  
  
"My God," Draco muttered as we started walking again, "She really -does- love him."  
  
"Wait," I stopped them again, "She changed the Killing Curse?"  
  
"Hey," Ginny stopped, suddenly realizing the potential this held, "Yeah…Yeah!"  
  
"So we have a chance!" I yelled, feeling a smile creep up on my face.  
  
"We have a chance!" Ginny chimed it, jumping up and down and punching the air.  
  
"Yeah!" Draco laughed.  
  
We started cheering loudly until Snape suddenly appeared behind us out of nowhere.  
  
"What is going on here?" He asked coldly.  
  
"Eliza changed the Killing Curse!" Ginny said happily.  
  
"What?" Snape's expression changed faster than a light bulb blowing out.  
  
We didn't bother answering him, we just turned and started running back the way we came. We needed to know -exactly- what that hybrid was made of as -soon- as she woke up. But the only problem was: what if she didn't wake up until it was too late?  
  
A/N: Read, review, and love it….LOVE IT I SAY!!!!!!!!!! J/k. But seriously, review. I only got one for the last chapter and that was just because I have a friend reading this…Wait…I thought I had two…KATERS!! 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update but I had A LOT of stuff going on at school and my muse left me…But it's out now, so read and enjoy.  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 14  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
I quietly shut the door to my room and walked forward to my bed, collapsing on it when I got there. Hermione, Ginny, Harry and I had stayed with Eliza until she had finally woken up. She only stayed conscious for a few minutes, enough time to give Snape a piece of paper with directions on how to cast the hybrid on it before she passed out again. At that point, Hermione, Ginny, and I had left, but Harry had stayed with Eliza and I knew he probably wouldn't move until she woke up for more than five minutes.  
  
Sighing, I pushed myself up and walked to the bathroom. I slipped out of my robes and winced when I saw blood staining my white shirt. Apparently the wound wasn't as healed as I thought if it was bleeding through the thick bandages. I went to the bathroom, pulling off my shirt and dropping it on the floor on the way. Once I got to the bathroom, I slowly unwrapped the bandages, wincing as the blood started to flow down my side and stain the top of my jeans. Once I had dropped the last of the bandages on the floor, I grabbed a towel and soaked it in cold water. I pressed it against the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood while searching for the roll of bandages I usually kept in the bathroom. But, after a few minutes the towel was stained a pinkish color by the blood, I still hadn't found the bandages, and I was starting to feel tired from blood loss. I finally just gave up on trying to find the bandages and stepped backwards until my back hit the wall. I slid down and clutched the towel tighter to my side, becoming slightly desperate to stop the blood now. I gave up when my eyesight started fading and just waited for the darkness to come again.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I knocked on Draco's door, but got no answer, which was odd considering he had only been in there for ten minutes. I opened the door slowly and steeped inside, glancing cautiously around the room for Draco. The room was empty except for his shirt on the floor. I walked over to the shirt and picked it up off the floor. When I picked it up, I realized it was stained with blood and gasped. I looked up again and realized the bathroom light was on and the door was open. I dropped the shirt and rushed over to the bathroom and looked inside, nearly screaming when I saw what was inside.  
  
Draco was laying on the floor in a pool of blood that I could confidently say was his. A towel lay on the floor next to him that was also stained with his blood. I quickly rushed over to his side and kneeled down next to him. His eyes were open, but not focused on anything. I gently turned his head until his gaze was locked with mine.  
  
"Draco?" I said, trying to snap him out of his daze.  
  
"Hermione…" He said softly, his eyes focusing as he reached up and put a hand on the side of my face. I reached up and put my hand over his, leaning into his palm.  
  
"What happened Draco?" I asked.  
  
"The….The cut opened again….And….And the blood…"  
  
I reached down with my free hand and pulled the towel out of his grasp, revealing the open wound that had only just then stopped bleeding. I replaced the towel and looked around the bathroom for something clean I could clean the blood with. There was a clean stack of towels in the corner, but other than that nothing was in sight. I sighed, got up, and picked up a towel. I doused it in water and turned back towards Draco. I picked up the bloody towel, threw it into the corner, and started to clean the wound.  
  
When that was done I looked around again, only this time for the roll of bandages Draco usually kept handy. I couldn't find them, so I just pulled out my wand and conjured a roll. I quickly wrapped the wound and tried to get Draco to stay conscious long enough for me to talk to him.  
  
"Draco," I said when I finally got him at least mostly awake, "Do you want to go back to the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"No," He groaned, wincing as his hand grazed his bandages.  
  
"Then we have to get you to your bed," I said, glancing from him to the bed in the next room.  
  
He nodded and attempted to get up. He managed to stand, but started to stumble almost automatically. I quickly reached out and allowed him to lean on me, helping him to make it to his bed. We finally made it and he lay down with one arm over his eyes.  
  
"I'm going to go clean up your bathroom," I told him softly, running my hand through his hair before I turned and walked into the bloody bathroom. I sighed and looked down at the puddle of blood, then at the bloody bandages, then at my own reflection in the mirror. My face was smeared with Draco's blood, as were my hands. My shoes too, were covered with blood, but that could wait until later. I cleaned the blood and bandages with a simple spell, before I turned on the water and cleaned the blood off of my face and hands. I turned the water off and walked out of the bathroom, turning the light off behind me. Draco was still laying on the bed, but he moved the arm that lay over his eyes so it now rested across his stomach. His eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling evenly. I walked quietly up to him and looked down at him. He looked so…fragile. Like he would just shatter like glass when it hit the floor. I leaned down and kissed him lightly on the forehead before I turned and walked towards the door.  
  
"Don't leave," He said suddenly when I reached the door, "Please. Don't leave, Hermione."  
  
I turned and looked at him. He hadn't bothered sitting up to talk and had instead twisted his head around so it hung off the bed and turned in my direction. I smiled softly and walked back towards the bed, kicking off my shoes on the way and crawling into bed next to him. He moved his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes, wincing again at the wound. I took out my wand and charmed the lights off before I curled up next to him with my hand curled up into a fist on his chest and my forehead resting against his shoulder. One of his hands reached up and covered my own before we both fell into a restful sleep.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
Our peaceful sleep was broken at 8:48 AM when a series of frantic knocks assaulted my door. I lifted my head as Hermione sat up and stared at the clock, then the door. This was early even for her. The knocks started again, but this time a voice accompanied it.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry's voice called, sounding frantic, "Hermione! I know you're there, answer the door!"  
  
Hermione looked bewildered for a second before throwing off the blanket and climbing out of bed. She quickly walked to the door and opened it to face a very worried looking Harry Potter.  
  
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked automatically as Harry came in and leaned against the wall, trembling.  
  
"Eliza…" Harry said slowly, still shaking.  
  
"What's the matter with her?" I asked, sitting up.  
  
"She's…" Harry gulped, "She's…gone."  
  
****  
  
A/N: Okay, I know this is a little short, but Justers has been pissing me off with his incessant cries for the new chapter. So Justin: It's out, stop bitching. Bye. Review please! 


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Scared you, didn't I?  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 15  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
"What?" I stared blankly at his for a second.  
  
"She's gone," Harry repeated, his voice sounding like he scarcely believed the words he had just uttered.  
  
"What d'you mean she's gone?" Draco asked, sitting up in bed and wincing.  
  
"She's not there…" Harry said quietly.  
  
I was torn between frantic worry and faint relief. She wasn't dead, but she still wasn't there.  
  
"What happened Harry?" I asked the pale teenager, putting my hands on his shoulders to calm him down.  
  
"I left for five seconds, Hermione," He said, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his teeth together, "I left her for -five seconds-…But that's all he needed…"  
  
"Who, Harry?"  
  
"Voldemort."  
  
I pulled back and looked at him before turning and looking at Draco over my shoulder. He was sitting on the side of his bed, staring at Harry with an almost scared look on his face.  
  
"Voldemort got in?" He asked, his voice strained.  
  
Harry nodded, backing up until he hit the wall and sliding down it slowly as he stared at his feet.  
  
"How?" Was Draco's only reply.  
  
"I left to get a potion…" Harry started, sticking his hands in his pockets, "And when I got back…there was green fire…and…and I found this…"  
  
He withdrew his hand from his pockets and showed us pieces of snakeskin.  
  
"So that means…" I said slowly, my mind not wanting to believe.  
  
"Voldemort got her," Draco finished, pulling himself off the bed and limping stiffly up to us.  
  
Harry nodded, then starting banging his head against the wall. I grabbed a handful of hair to make him stop and turned to Draco.  
  
"Would he kill her?" I asked him, worry etched on my face.  
  
"No," Draco said automatically, his voice betraying nothing about his real feelings, "He'll use her to hurt Harry by torturing her then killing her in front of him."  
  
"Oh my God," I whispered, looking down at Harry, who was staring forward with a blank expression on his face. Then, he suddenly got up, turned, reared back, and punched the wall.  
  
"Damnit!" He yelled, before letting his arm fall and pressing his forehead against the wall.  
  
"Damnit…" He repeated, this time his voice no more that a whisper.  
  
"It'll be alright," I said, reaching out my hand to touch him lightly on the shoulder, but not really believing what I was telling him myself.  
  
"Get off," He said bluntly, shrugging my hand off his shoulder, "Everyone I get near dies…I don't want your blood on my hands as well…"  
  
"Harry…" I took a few steps back, bumping into Draco and feeling his arms wrap around my waist and his head drop down onto my shoulder.  
  
"She's not dead," Draco said, his voice in my ear, "But she will be if you don't get your ass up and start preparing."  
  
Harry blinked and turned, his face set and rage flashing in his eyes.  
  
"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Harry asked, glaring at Draco over my shoulder.  
  
"Simple really," Draco said, pushing me gently behind him so there was nothing between him and Harry, "Get your act together and shape up so when he comes to taunt you with her, you'll be able to take her back and kill him."  
  
"And how do you propose I 'shape up,' exactly?" Harry growled, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Stop acting like the world is revolving around you and your problems and get your act together. You can't beat the Dark Lord if you're depressed."  
  
"How am I supposed to feel if I'm going to beat Voldemort?"  
  
"You're not supposed to feel anything. You're supposed to suppress all the rage and anger and let it out when the time is right."  
  
"And you know all this -how-?"  
  
Draco hesitated.  
  
"Never mind," Harry muttered, closing his eyes and shaking his head, "I don't want to know. I'm going to sleep."  
  
He left and slammed the door behind him. Draco turned towards me, grinned weakly, then collapsed onto the floor.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
From the moment I stood up my wound had opened. I could feel it. It was like fire, a constant throbbing pain that slowly spread until my whole stomach was aching. I had managed to hide it in front of Potter, but once he was gone I dropped the act. The pain brought me to the floor, and I could sense Hermione immediately at my side.  
  
"Draco?" She said, her voice laced with worry.  
  
I couldn't speak. I let out a small groan, rolling over onto my back and coughing harshly.  
  
"Draco, what's wrong?" Hermione tried again, slipping her warm hand into mine.   
  
I groaned again, motioning to the thick layer of bandages wrapped around my middle.  
  
"Okay," Hermione said, finally understanding, "Okay…I'll go get a towel…"  
  
I nodded, gritting my teeth and waiting for her to come back. When she came back she had a wet towel with her and a roll of bandages. She quickly unwrapped the blood-soaked bandages I already had on, throwing them down next to her and replacing them with the clean ones after cleaning the wound. She then pulled out her wand and put a Numbing Charm on the wound, dulling the pain enough for me to sit up.  
  
"Thanks," I said, running a hand lightly over the layer of bandages.  
  
"You really -should- go back to the Hospital Wing…" She said, looking up and locking her gaze with mine.  
  
"I'll be okay," I said, managing a weak smile for her, "It'll heal eventually…they always do."  
  
She nodded, but still had a worried look on her face. I leaned over and hugged her.  
  
"I'm okay," I whispered in her ear, "I really am."  
  
"Okay…" She said, turning her head slightly so she could look up at me, "But promise to go to the Hospital Wing if you ever get a near-death wound."  
  
"Well I won't really have much of a choice then, now will I?"  
  
"Just promise."  
  
"Fine, I swear it upon everything good and holy in this world and any other."  
  
"I'll hold you to that."  
  
"I know you will."  
  
She pulled away and smiled.  
  
"I need to go check on Harry," She said, glancing towards the door, "If he has a knife he's probably cutting himself by now."  
  
"Go ahead," I told her, "I'll just go back to sleep."  
  
"Okay," She said, leaning forward and giving me a quick kiss before she stood and walked towards the door, "I'll come and see you as soon as I can."  
  
"Okay," I said, yawning, "Bye."  
  
She smiled and left, leaving me to get some much needed sleep.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I left and automatically crossed the room to get to Harry's room. I didn't knock, just opened the door and walked in. I was right about the knife. He was carving something onto his left arm and hand. He didn't even look up when I walked in. He just kept on slicing into his skin, the blood dripping down his arm and making a puddle on his bed and the floor.  
  
I strode up to him and snatched the knife away. He stared at his hand for a minute before he looked up at me.  
  
"Give it back," He said, his voice toneless and the sparkle behind his eyes dead.  
  
"No," I said simply, shoving him into the bathroom.  
  
"Give it back," He said again as I turned the water on and grabbed a towel.  
  
"No," I repeated, soaking the towel in cold water and grabbing his arm.  
  
"Give. It. Back," He said yet again.  
  
"No," I said yet again, starting to gently clean the wound. He was silent after that. After I cleaned the wound, I was able to make out a word carved into the pale, bloodstained skin.  
  
"Numb?" I asked, looking up at him and raising an eyebrow.  
  
He didn't answer, just dropped his gaze and looked at the wound. I just sighed and conjured a roll of bandages, wrapping the wound quickly and casting a spell over the bandages when I was done so he couldn't take them off.  
  
"There," I said when I finished, setting the roll of bandages next to his sink and pushing him gently out of the bathroom, "Now go to sleep. You need rest."  
  
I guided him over to the bed and pushed him down gently onto it. He didn't resist, he just stared over my shoulder at nothing and didn't say a word. He lay back on top of the covers and closed his eyes, cradling his injured arm against his chest. I waited until his breath evened out before I left, silently closing the door behind me. I took the knife with me. Harry couldn't be trusted with it. If he could do that to his arm without any feeling, then he could probably just as easily slit his wrists, and the entire wizarding world would be screwed if the great Harry Potter died, so I couldn't risk it.  
  
I immediately crossed to my room and fell backwards over onto my bed. I groaned and glanced at the clock. Nine twenty-four in the morning. I yawned and closed my eyes, trying to force myself back to sleep. Amazingly, it worked and I soon fell into a restless sleep, my dreams full of images of Eliza lying beaten and bloody before the Dark Lord while he laughed and laughed and laughed…  
  
****  
  
A/N: And I suppose I'll stop it there. Sorry it's been so long between updates, but high school is pretty much kicking my ass right now. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Now click the little button at the bottom of your screen and review. If you do, I'll give you an island when I rule the world…*evil laughter* But seriously, review and tell me what you think. Bye bye. 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 16. Read and please review. I want to have 100 reviews by the time I finish this thing and I'm more than three-fourths of the way there…  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 16  
  
****  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
It took two days after the disappearance of Eliza for the teachers to ban us from going outside after dark. It took three for them to ban us from going outside at all. It took them four to cancel outdoor classes. After the fifth day, they charmed the fireplaces so the Floo Network wasn't connected to them. And then, on the sixth day, the owl deliveries were cancelled. Only a week, and the school was on total lockdown.  
  
It was understandable. After all, Voldemort, the strongest Dark Lord in the history of the wizarding world, had snuck into Hogwarts, the 'safest' place in the wizarding world, then snatched a student right out from under the noses of it's teachers. Eventually, even the teachers stopped really -teaching- their classes and instead left to go to conferences with Dumbledore or just made us sit and read the text books. Harry had stopped coming to class completely. He simply sat in the library all day, looking up spell after spell and counter spell after counter spell. Hermione and I spent most of our time in the Room of Requirement. She asked me about Voldemort mostly. I didn't like it, but I attempted to answer most of her questions. I suppose she passed on the information I told her to Harry so he could look up spells that might help him if he had to fight Voldemort one-on-one again.  
  
The whole school was taught the spell Eliza had come up with. They called it the Hawkings Spell, both after Eliza herself and after the hawk-shaped purple blast of light that went along with it. The students were allowed to practice in the Great Hall after classes when dinner was over. Quite frankly, most of them could have used some work on it. Most of them had never been faced with the Killing Curse, and many of them never thought they would ever be faced with the Curse anyway so they didn't practice at all.  
  
I suppose us Heads should have been harder on them and forced them to practice, but we didn't. We didn't even want to believe that Eliza was gone, but the cold facts kept staring us in the face. She -was- gone, the Dark Lord -was- rising again, and there was very little we could do to stop him. We had lived with this sense of peace for so long…we didn't want it to go away. But all good things must end, and I suppose now was the time for this 'peace' to pass.  
  
Besides, even if they didn't -want- to believe that Voldemort was back, they were forced to on the eleventh day after Eliza's disappearance.  
  
It happened during dinner. I had started sitting with the Gryffindors, and now sat with Hermione and Harry on my left and Ginny on my right. We weren't really eating, just sitting in silence with our heads bowed. Then, suddenly, the doors burst open and all of the tables were somehow thrown backwards until they hit the back wall. The teachers table was thrown back as well, and this caused the teachers and Dumbledore to be pinned between the table and their chairs. Screams of confusion rang out, but they soon turned to screams of fear when fourteen hooded figures walked in through the door. One led the group, while the rest seemed to make a circle, hiding what lay at its center. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and I all stood up and looked at the figures, each of us taking a step back. The doors crashed shut as the last of the hooded people came in and a bubble seemed to flash around the group before it faded. Then that same leader took off his hood. I guess I already knew who it was before he took his hood off, but it seemed like the whole entire Great Hall let out a gasp of one when the Dark Lord showed his face. Harry automatically (and rather stupidly I might add) let out a yell and ran towards Voldemort, being blown backwards by the invisible electrical barrier that protected him.  
  
"Careful Potter," the Dark Lord said smoothly, an evil grin spreading on his face, "You don't want your little girlfriend to get hurt, now would you?"  
  
He turned and motioned to the circle of Deatheaters, who parted and showed a very beaten and bloody Eliza being held up by two of the bigger Deatheaters (Crabbe and Goyle or their fathers, no doubt). They threw her forward and she skidded across the floor to lay in front of the Dark Lord's feet.  
  
"Well," The Dark Lord's evil grin seemed to grow even more, "Hurt more."  
  
Harry growled in fury and got as close to the barrier as he could without being blasted back again. Hermione and I stepped forward to stand next to him while Ginny ran behind us to try and free the teachers.  
  
"Let her go," Harry said coldly, his voice laced with fury.  
  
"Let's wake her up first," Voldemort said calmly, before he went up and kicked her in the ribs. Harry flinched, but Eliza didn't. She shifted slightly and rolled over onto her back, one arm over her stomach and then other laying flat by her side. Voldemort frowned and kicked her again, only harder this time. Eliza shifted again, but still didn't wake up. Voldemort's frown got even deeper, and he kicked her as hard as he could in the side.  
  
"You could've just poked me or something…" Eliza muttered, opening one eye before she stretched and folded her arms behind her head She closed the one eye she had open and began to tap her feet to a song going through her head. I had seen her use this same technique to block pain before. She locked herself inside her head and cranked up the volume. Voldemort scowled down at her for a brief moment before turning his attention back to Harry. His trademark evil grin spread across his face and he crossed his arms.  
  
"As you might have noticed, Harry," He said, the smirk never leaving his fact, "I have found your weakness."  
  
Harry growled slightly and crossed his arms over his chest, forcing himself to keep calm.  
  
"And that is?" Harry said coldly.  
  
"Love," Voldemort's grin got bigger, "You have let yourself love."  
  
"I'll kill you," Harry snapped, his eyes flashing.  
  
"I'd like to see you try," Voldemort replied calmly.  
  
"He'd kick your ass."  
  
All eyes turned to Eliza, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.  
  
"What?" Voldemort said coldly, taking a few steps towards her. Eliza looked up at him with a completely calm expression on his face.  
  
"I said he'd kick your ass," She said, her voice just as calm as her expression.  
  
"And why do you say that?" Voldemort growled.  
  
"Well," Eliza smiled, "If he can kick your ass when he's a baby, then he can most likely kick your ass when he's seventeen."  
  
Voldemort looked at her with a disbelieving look on his face for a moment before he reared back and kicked her in the jaw, sending her skidding backwards in our direction. I knew from personal experience that that was the one thing you NEVER brought up in front of Voldemort. EVER. He had killed people over it. His -own- people. I was surprised all Eliza got was a kick.  
  
Surprisingly, Eliza started to laugh. As she did so, blood poured out of her mouth and ran down the front of her tattered shirt. She forced herself up into a sitting position and a sick grin spread across her face.  
  
"That the best you got?" She asked, the grin getting wider.  
  
Fire flashed in the Dark Lord's eyes and he pulled out his wand, leveling it straight at Eliza.  
  
"'S that supposed to scare me?" Eliza laughed, "You poor pathetic thing. Can't even kill a mere child…"  
  
Voldemort's eyes widened and his face twisted into one of fury. Then, suddenly, he let out a yell and screamed the only two words that all witches and wizards feared:  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
****  
  
A/N: And there's my nice little cliffy. There will only be two or three more chapters (didn't I say that a few chapters ago? I mean it this time!) So anyway…review please! Like I said, I want 100... 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: C'mon people, I'm so close to my goal…only ten more reviews…  
  
****  
  
Emerald Flame  
  
Chapter 17  
  
****  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
I let out a scream as a burst of green light filled the room and the sound of a speeding train echoed around us all. I closed my eyes and pressed my hands firmly over my ears until the noise and the light faded away. What I saw seemed almost impossible.  
  
Eliza had apparently thrown herself out of the way when the spell came, causing it to hit the 'bubble' and bounce back towards Voldemort. Somehow, he had dodged it as well, so the spell had hit the Death Eater behind him. The Death Eater now lay motionless on the ground.  
  
Eliza forced herself up and smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Foiled -again- by a teenager…" She laughed.  
  
Voldemort threw the Killing Curse at her again. Again, she dodged and the Curse hit a Death Eater. This only made him angrier and he threw the Curse two more times. Miraculously, Eliza dodged each time, causing two more Death Eaters to drop down dead.  
  
"If you keep killing all your friends," Eliza said, crossing her arms over her chest, "How do you expect to get invited to parties?"  
  
Voldemort growled, but put down his wand, apparently trying his hardest to suppress the urge to kill Eliza for the time being.  
  
"You -will- stop mocking me," He said coldly.  
  
"And what makes you think that?" Eliza asked, stretching her arms over her head before she yawned and crossed them over her chest.  
  
"Unless you want to DIE, you WILL stop mocking me."  
  
Voldemort seemed to be trying -very- hard to contain himself.  
  
Eliza sighed and looked at the Death Eaters, who were all standing in front of the doorway, barely breathing.  
  
"Hi Lucius," She said baring her teeth at a Death Eater near the front. I glanced at Draco. He had tensed and was glaring at the Death Eater with murder in his eyes.  
  
Lucius brought his hands up and took down his hood, glaring at Eliza with cold gray eyes.  
  
"I should kill you now," Eliza sneered, "But I think I'll leave that pleasure to Draco there."  
  
She nodded her head back towards Draco, and you could see the surprise on Lucius' face.  
  
"But I killed…" He started, trailing off when he caught sight of his 'son.'  
  
"No," Draco said, "Sorry, I'm still here."  
  
Lucius' expression went from one to disbelief to the normal 'I'm-a-bloody-bastard' look quicker than a light bulb blowing.  
  
"I thought you killed him…" Voldemort growled, turning to look at the blonde Death Eater.  
  
"I…My Lord…you must understand…I ran the sword right through him!" Lucius muttered, his expression changing into a look of fear.  
  
"You failed me?" Voldemort said slowly.  
  
"No! No! I didn't!" Lucius said quickly, starting to babble.  
  
"No one -ever- fails me…"  
  
"My Lord!"  
  
"You've been one of my most faithful followers, Lucius…"  
  
"Yes, my Lord…always, my Lord…"  
  
"It will be sorry to see you go…"  
  
"No my Lord!"  
  
"Good-bye Lucius…"  
  
Voldemort raised his wand, pointed it directly at Lucius, and said the Killing Curse. Lucius was dead in a matter of seconds.  
  
"Damn," Draco muttered, "I wanted to do that…"  
  
"Yet again Voldy," Eliza said, looking from Lucius to Voldemort, "The first rule of creating an evil army: Don't kill your followers."  
  
Voldemort closed his eyes and growled a little, trying his hardest to keep his temper down. Eliza rolled her eyes.  
  
"You're not going to kill me," She said, crossing her arms over her chest again and planting her feet slightly apart on the ground, "Not now, anyway."  
  
"-Really?-" Voldemort said, an evil grin appearing on his face. He reached into his robes and pulled out a sword with huge, egg-shaped emeralds set in the hilt. Even from here, I could see the name 'Salazar Slytherin' etched in the blade.  
  
"Unless you throw that thing at me," Eliza said, eyeing the blade wearily, "You won't be able to hit me."  
  
"-Really?-" Voldemort repeated. Eliza looked confused for a second and took a few steps back. Her lips were moving silently and rapidly, so she was either locking herself in her head again, coming up with a new spell, or praying. Voldemort laughed at the sight of his 'prey' finally looking scared.  
  
It was then that it all suddenly clicked in my head. The bubble that they were in reflected all spells in or outside of it. Since there was a spell over the school, it had probably bounced off the outside bubble when they made it, and thus the spells usually over the school didn't apply to anything inside the bubble. In the simplest terms: Voldemort could apparate anywhere inside of the bubble. I was about to yell this out to Eliza, but it was too late.  
  
Voldemort apparated behind Eliza and ran the sword through her stomach. Eliza gasped and looked down at the bloody sword protruding out of her abdomen before she looked back up and gagged, a thin line of blood starting to run out of the corner of her mouth and down her chin.  
  
"NO!" Harry screamed, falling to his knees and looking from his girlfriend to the Dark Lord, murder in his eyes.  
  
"They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die," Voldemort said in Eliza's ear, "So tell me what you see."  
  
He pulled his sword out of her stomach and rested it over his shoulder. Eliza fell to her knees and looked at the ground for a moment before she started to talk, her voice sounding watery and blood falling down her chin with every word she uttered.  
  
"I'm with my mother…" She said, her eyes unfocused, "Before you killed her…We're sitting in the living room…I'm playing my guitar and she's drawing…And laughing…."  
  
She smiled for a second, her face turning up towards the sky. Then she slowly tilted her head in our direction and looked at Draco.  
  
"I'm twelve…" She said, the smile dropping slowly, "Draco sneaks into my room…covered in blood…and asks if he can sleep on the floor…his father's been hitting him again…"  
  
She turned her head even more and looked towards Harry.  
  
"I'm in the ice maze…With Harry…"  
  
She shook her head and looked up at Voldemort, her eyes coming into focus for a brief second.  
  
"You don't get to know that," She said, before she coughed up more blood and her eyes went out of focus again. She suddenly smiled and started to laugh. Voldemort frowned down at her.  
  
"What?" He growled. He didn't like his victims laughing at him.  
  
"My brother…" She said, still laughing softly.  
  
"You don't -have- a brother," Voldemort said suddenly, narrowing his eyes at her, "I killed him."  
  
"Yes, you did," Eliza laughed again, "But that doesn't mean he's still not walking around…"  
  
Voldemort blinked for a second and then a look of fear suddenly appeared on his face.  
  
"Oh no," Draco suddenly said softly. He walked over to me and stood next to me, looking up at the ceiling. I looked up too and gasped. Bats were flying around the ceiling. Many, many bats. But these bats had blood-red eyes. In other words, they weren't bats. They were vampires.  
  
The biggest one landed next to Draco and glowed silver for a second before it transformed into a tall young man with glowing red eyes and white-blonde hair. He was apparently the leader of the clan, because once he landed and transformed, the rest followed his lead. Soon, there were almost as many vampires in the Great Hall as there were students.  
  
"Listen closely, Voldemort," The leader said, glaring at the Dark Lord, "You will take down the force field. You will give my sister to me. And then I will kill you slowly. Understand?"  
  
"You can't scare me, Dimitri," Voldemort growled, "Not only can you not get in the field, but I can just call the vampires under my control, and they'll most likely destroy you."  
  
Dimitri laughed.  
  
"Them?" He said, "Please, they didn't put up much of a challenge, nor did any of the other races."  
  
"What?" Voldemort growled.  
  
"We killed them," Dimitri said slowly.  
  
"How…Never mind!" Voldemort yelled, "You still can't make it inside the force field!"  
  
"Really?" Dimitri laughed. He took four steps forward until he was directly in front of the force field. He stuck his hand out and it simply passed through the bubble like it was nothing. He took three steps forward and stood completely inside the force field.  
  
Needless to say, Voldemort was surprised.  
  
"But…" He said, taking a few steps back, "How…"  
  
"The force field prevents all humans with magical blood from entering. Thus, I can get in since not only am I not human, but I don't have blood."  
  
Dimitri walked forward and picked Eliza up. He glanced up at the Dark Lord before he turned and whispered a few words, causing the part of the field in front of him to collapse and disappear. He walked out and set Eliza gently on the floor before turning to look around the room at his clan.  
  
"Kill them all," He said, pointing to the Death Eaters, "EXCEPT the Dark Lord. Leave him for Potter."  
  
In one fluid motion, the vampires rose and flew towards the Death Eaters. I whimpered once they started screaming and turned, burying my face in Draco's shoulder. Once the last scream had sounded, I turned and looked back towards the force field. I forced myself to look past at all the lifeless Death Eaters and looked towards Voldemort, who was surrounded by vampires with his back against the wall.  
  
Dimitri turned towards Harry, who was crouched down next to Eliza, and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Call your sword," Dimitri said calmly, "It's the only way to kill him."  
  
"But Eliza…" Harry looked down at his girlfriend, then back up at the vampire.  
  
"I'll take care of her," Dimitri said, "Now kill the bloody bastard before he can hurt anyone else."  
  
Harry nodded and rose, pulling out his wand and holding it over his head.  
  
"Accio sword!" He yelled.  
  
After a few seconds, the sword Harry had obtained after his fight with the basilisk in second year flew through the Great Hall and landed in his hand. He walked up to the Dark Lord, the vampires surrounding Voldemort parting to let Harry through, and set the tip of the sword against Voldemort's neck.  
  
"You can't kill me," Voldemort laughed, "You don't gave it in you. You're too -nice- to kill."  
  
"Really?" Harry said, looking down at Voldemort.  
  
Voldemort didn't answer, he just began to laugh. Harry looked at him for a second before he lifted the sword and shoved it through Voldemort's throat.  
  
Voldemort gagged, choked up blood, and died.  
  
Harry turned and started walking back towards Eliza, dropping the sword on the floor as he went. Once he got up to Eliza, he crouched down next to her again, looking up at her brother.  
  
"Will she live?" He asked.  
  
"Yes," Dimitri said, nodding, "She'll live if you can get her to the Hospital Wing in the next hour."  
  
"And you took care of the rest of his followers outside?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay then."  
  
Harry picked Eliza up and calmly walked out of the Great Hall, stepping over the bodies of the dead Death Eaters.  
  
The vampires walked behind us and effortlessly moved the tables, allowing the students and the teachers to go free.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Dumbledore," Dimitri said, walking up to the Headmaster.  
  
"Hello, Dimitri," Dumbledore replied, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving the school."  
  
"It was nothing," Dimitri said nonchalantly, shrugging.  
  
"Although, I do have a favor to ask of you…"  
  
"Yes, we'll get to bodies."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"And…can you tell my sister to send me a letter when she gets well? I'd like to talk to her again."  
  
"Yes, Dimitri, I will."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
With that said, Dimitri turned and looked around at all the vampires.  
  
"Take the bodies and let's go!" He yelled at them. The vampires did as they were told, and in a few minutes, they were gone.   
  
It was then that Draco turned towards me and smiled.  
  
"It's over," He said, laughing slightly and hugging me tightly, "It's over."  
  
****  
  
A/N: Whoa…I killed Voldy! (little midget runs by and yells "You bastard!") o.0...okay…The next chapter will be the last, I'm sure of that now. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!! I only want 100.… 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Well…the final chapter…I seriously never thought I'd get here. But, thanks to everyone who continued to read and review. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. And here's Chapter 18. Read, enjoy, review.  
  
Emerald Flame  
Chapter 18  
  
Draco's POV  
  
"So what'll you do now that Voldemort's gone?" Hermione asked, her voice slightly muffled since she was pressed against my chest.  
  
"I don't know," I replied, burying my face in her hair, "I'll probably just buy a house with the family fortune and settle down somewhere…might try to become an Auror…What about you?"  
  
"I'll just settle down somewhere and write spell books for a living I suppose," She looked up and locked eyes with me. I tilted my head down and stole a kiss, making her smile and lean her head back against my shoulder.  
  
There was a knock on the door of the compartment and it slid open, revealing Harry and Eliza. They came in immediately, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Hi!" Hermione said, attempting to get up, but I held her back with an arm around her waist. She whined a little and looked sideways at me.  
  
"I'm not letting you go," I said simply, pulling her back against me. She smiled and tilted her head, looking up at me with those big, brown eyes.  
  
"You'll have to eventually," She replied.  
  
"You wanna bet?" I laughed.  
  
She stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms as best she could over her chest.  
  
"We're not like that, are we?" Eliza asked, turning to Harry.  
  
"You see, love," Harry replied, embracing her from behind, "I think we're worse."  
  
"-Really?-" Eliza laughed, turning her head to see Harry out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Really," Harry replied, tilting his head forward and biting the corner of her ear gently.  
  
"Stop now!" I said sharply. Harry and Eliza laughed and broke apart long enough to sit on the seats in front of Hermione and I.  
  
"So what're you going to do now that Voldemort's gone?" I asked them.  
  
"I'll just try to become an Auror," Harry muttered, shrugging.  
  
"And I'll write the Harry Potter biography," Eliza replied, grinning.  
  
"I was going to do that," Hermione muttered.  
  
"Well I beat you to it, now didn't I?"  
  
Hermione stuck her tongue out and Eliza laughed.  
  
"I'll let you draw a picture or two in it."  
  
"You don't want that," Harry muttered.  
  
"Potter!" Hermione said, her jaw dropping.  
  
"I've seen you doodle Hermione," He replied, "It's…interesting…"  
  
"Bloody bastard, I should hurt you for that."  
  
"He's right," I said to her.  
  
Hermione tilted her head up to look at me.  
  
"Everyone's against me," She sniffed.  
  
"No…" I said in her ear, "Just -them.-"  
  
I jerked a head in Harry and Eliza's direction.  
  
"-Well- then," Eliza leaned back against Harry and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"I'm just kidding," I said as Harry and Hermione laughed.  
  
"No you're not," Eliza replied with a fake sniff, burying her head in her hands, "You hate me!"  
  
"Well I wasn't going to say anything…"  
  
Eliza quickly kicked me hard in the leg.  
  
"Ow! What'd I do?"  
  
"Everyone must love me or they shall die!" Eliza muttered evilly under her breath.  
  
"Knowing you," Harry said to her, "You're telling the truth about that."  
  
"Nice to know your safe, isn't it?" Eliza smiled at him.  
  
"It gives me the warm fuzzies," Harry smiled back.  
  
"And it should," Eliza buried her face into Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Yet again," I said to them, "Stop now!"  
  
"If you're allowed to cuddle over there then we should be allowed to cuddle over here."  
  
"No, I'm afraid I can't cuddle with you. I'm taken."  
  
"You bastard!"  
  
Eliza aimed another kick at me and, yet again, kicked me in the knee.  
  
"That was mature…"  
  
"Don't make me aim higher."  
  
"Uh…"  
  
"Precisely."  
  
"You're mean…"  
  
"Yes…Yes I am…"  
  
We began to laugh, but we were interrupted by a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in!" Eliza called at the door.  
  
The door slid open and Weasel walked in.  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"What do you want Ron?" I asked the red-head as he stood in the doorway.  
  
"Can…Can I talk to you out in the hallway?" He asked, "Just for a moment."  
  
I tilted my head up to look at Draco before sighing and getting up. I walked with Ron out into the hallway, closing the door behind me.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked Ron, crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at him.  
  
"I just wanted to say…" Ron sighed and tilted his gaze down so he was looking at his feet, "I wanted to say I'm sorry, okay?"  
  
He looked shyly back up at me.  
  
"I'm sorry," He repeated.  
  
I smiled and shook my head slightly.  
  
"Apology excepted," I said to him, nodding.  
  
Ron smiled and began to walk backwards.  
  
"I have to go," He said, "Luna's waiting for me."  
  
He turned completely and walked away. I turned and opened the door, causing Eliza, Harry, and Draco (who were all pressed up against the door eavesdropping on me) to fall backwards onto the floor. They quickly scrambled up and got back into their original positions, acting like they had never moved. I laughed and put my hands on my hips.  
  
"Smooth," I said, "Really smooth."  
  
They attempted to hide their laughter, but were soon rolling in laughter.  
  
We spent the rest of the trip making jokes and reminiscing about the previous years at Hogwarts until the inevitable finally came and we pulled up at Kings Cross Station.  
  
"Where will you live for the time being?" I asked Draco as we were walking off the train.  
  
"Dunno," He replied, "I'll just have to get a room at the Leaky Cauldron I suppose."  
  
"You can stay with us," Harry said from behind us.  
  
"Us?" Draco asked, turning to face Harry.  
  
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "Me, Eliza, Hermione, Tonks, Lupin, and a few of the Weasleys."  
  
"That's a lot of people," Draco said.  
  
"We'll only be there another year or so. Just until we have enough money to move out."  
  
Draco smirked and glanced at me.  
  
"Would they mind a Slytherin living with them?" He asked.  
  
"I don't -think- so…"  
  
"Then sure."  
  
I smiled at Draco and reached over to grasp his hand before we all walked out into the crowded station.

  
  
A/N: ….Don't think I ended it properly…Oh well. That's the end of my story. I think I might make a sequel…I'm not entirely sure if I want to or not…But to NitenGale: My counter's messed up I think so you might have been my 100th review. Or, if not, I got one flame (1 out of 101...that seems good…), so you're my 100th good review. See, it all works out. Thanks to EVERYONE who EVER reviewed. Good-Bye, and have a nice day. 


End file.
